Harambee Stars captain, Michael Olunga, is urging his team, Al Duhail, to approach their upcoming Asian Champions League match against Al-Nassr with a collective mindset and not be overly concerned with the presence of star players Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane in the opponent’s squad.
Al Duhail is set to face a formidable Al-Nassr side in Riyadh, and this match is crucial for them if they hope to advance from their group. So far, they have only managed to secure one point from two matches, with a goalless draw against Istiklol of Tajikistan in September and a 1-0 loss to Persepolis from Iran this month.
The loss to Persepolis marked the end of Hernan Crespo’s tenure as coach, with Christophe Galtier, the former Paris Saint-Germain tactician, taking over the reins. Galtier faces a daunting task on Tuesday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been in exceptional form this season, leading the Saudi Pro League’s scoring charts with 11 goals and adding one more in the Champions League. This makes Al Duhail’s challenge even more daunting. However, Olunga emphasizes that their focus should be on the collective strength of their team rather than individual opponents.
Olunga stated during a pre-match press conference on Monday evening, “Our preparations for this match were good, everyone is ready for it, and everyone respects the capabilities of Al-Nasr players. We know that we have to work on ourselves to present a strong collective performance.”
He continued, “When you talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, you talk about one of the best players in the world, and for me, it is an honor to play on the same field with him… but our goal tomorrow is to win the match.”
“The match is of great importance to us, and we must come out with a positive result. In order to achieve this goal, we must respect our opponent and give our utmost effort on the field.”
“Al-Nasr has a number of distinguished players who have succeeded in winning many titles in their professional career, but we will face a complete system, and we will not face every player alone. Our motivation for entering the match is to achieve a positive result that will help us continue our Asian journey.”
Galtier’s first match in charge of Al Duhail resulted in a 2-0 win over Al-Gharafa in the Qatar Stars Cup group stage last week, during which Olunga was away on international duty. However, the Kenyan international will be a key figure for Al Duhail at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium.
Olunga currently ranks third in the goal-scoring charts in the Qatar Stars League, having scored five goals in as many games. This will be his first encounter with Cristiano Ronaldo since March 2018 when Olunga was playing for Girona and Ronaldo was with Real Madrid, both in La Liga.
Al-Nassr currently leads Group E with a perfect six points, having secured a 2-0 win over Persepolis and a 3-1 victory over Istiklol. The Iranian side is in second place with three points after defeating Al Duhail.
