Football: African Champions' League 2005-USJF Ravinala promise a good match |28 January 2005

Speaking to Sports Nation upon the team's arrival at the Seychelles International Airport on Thursday morning, USJF Ravinala's head coach Auguste Raux said that they will approach the match with a positive attitude.

"We will take a positive approach in Saturday's match and we hope to give a good display of football even though we don't know much about the La Passe team," said Raux, who has also been in charge of the Madagascar senior national squad for the past two years.

Raux, who in his second season with USJF Ravinala and guided the team to achieving a League and Cup double last year, didn't want to predict a win for his team.

"La Passe are new to us and we will have to be cautious. They have two brilliant   strikers whom I've known and worked with in Bruno Saindini and Amisy Voavy. I have asked my players not to under-estimate their opponents but to be on their guards on Saturday," cautioned coach Raux.

Coach Raux, whose team got the feel of the playing venue – the Stad Linite pitch – in a training session yesterday afternoon, noted that they are well prepared for the game.

"I can't say that we are going to return home victorious, but we have come here to play football and that's what we are going to do. We are well prepared and hopefully everything will go on fine for us. It's our first appearance in any African club competition and we want to make a good impression," he said.

Asked how his team will approach tomorrow's game, coach Raux, who joined the club as trainer in 2002, had this to say:
"We are going to play a game of 90 minutes. Every team prepare for a match and we will know the better-prepared team on Saturday (tomorrow). We want to win and to do so we have to be at our best," said the former Madagascar junior team coach.
Coach Raux might give the team's new recruit Malagasy under-20 international striker Pamphile Rabefitia his debut.

The player, it is to be noted, has just been cleared by Africa's football governing body – the Confederation of African Football (CAF) – to play in Saturday's encounter.

USJF Ravanila are expected to leave for Madagascar on January 31 and will immediately go into camp in readiness for the return match on February 13.

The USJF Ravinala delegation comprises 25 persons.

C.  J.