This weekend, Rivers United will play host to Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, the reigning champions, and head coach Stanley Eguma says his team must be courageous.

At the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt on Sunday, the Nigeria Professional Football League champions defeated Wydad 2-1 in the first leg of their first-round CAF Champions League matchup.

The visitors took the lead on minute 32 thanks to Senegal forward Bouly Junior Sambou.

Malachi Ohawume and Paul Acquah's goals for Rivers United, however, helped them come back.

To maintain their tenuous advantage in the rematch, the Port Harcourt residents will need to play at their highest level.

Against the North Africans, Eguma believes his team will put up a valiant fight.

It’s tight, but I am very optimistic; it’s a game of football. If you look at the standard of the game (Sunday), Wydad AC were not far better than us, "Eguma told the club’s media.

All we need to do is to summon courage and then make our tactical plans on how to play them in Morocco. It’s a difficult terrain, but it's football, it’s not mathematics. "

I know a lot of people will write us off, but I want to let you know that it is not yet over.

“Within us, we know that we have a big fight to do and I am assuring you that we will not go there to sleep but to work and also put them under severe pressure to see that we get passage through to the group stage.”

The overall winners will proceed to the money-spinning group stage of the competition.