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Can Medeama SC carry Ghana's flag high against Al Ittihad?

Ghana FA Cup winners Medeama SC entertain Al Ittihad from Libya in the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday

The second leg of the round of 32 match has only begun the journey for the Tarkwa based side in their second-time attempt in the competition. The Yellow and Mauves painfully lost out on penalty shootouts in 2013 against AC Leopards of DR Congo in the final qualifier, which denied them entry into the group stage.

But with just a goal difference from the first leg, Medeama coach Tom Strand believes the match is still cagey and difficult to be won.

"There is nothing easy about this. It's gonna be tough. Even if it was 0-0, it was gonna be tough. Now we are down by 1-0 and it's even tougher so this game is definitely not over. It's gonna be very difficult match to overcome" he told Pulse.com.gh.

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The two-time FA Cup winners arrived very late in Ghana on Wednesday night after the first leg in Tunisia last Sunday following travel difficulties. The team however continued preparations in Sekondi on Thursday ahead of Sunday afternoon kick off.

And the Swedish coach of the club concedes that the two days delay in their return is a big blow for their home match.

"Oh definitely. Every little detail here has it influence on the upcoming climax of ecstasy of this game. So we will need all the help of Ghana to rise up and stand behind Medeama to beat the team from Libya".

Due to their delayed return, Strand is cautious to expect a great performance from his players but he reckons Medeama is a strong team to defy the odds.

"That we will see on Sunday because like I said the traveling issue has taken its price on the players. This is a very difficult task for us but I know that we have the chance because we are a very strong team. But this a very hard test for us. So we need a good day and we need a good support" he said.

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The first leg in Tunisia against their Libyan opponent might have taught Strand a lot of lessons and given him some eye openers in African football. This he asserts that, Ghana must narrow the gulf between them and other countries regarding facilities in order to brighten their chances of winning the ultimate in club competitions.

"Up there (North Africa) they have the facilities like the Europeans have and they are far more advanced in a lot of things that Ghana need to pick up if we are going to stand a chance, so this is going to be really tough for us. For now I am taking one match at a time because this is more difficult than I thought" he concluded.

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