Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga is looking forward to meeting Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al Nassr in the Asian Champions League on Tuesday evening.
Olunga and his Al Duhail team are in Saudi Arabia for the Group E encounter that will be staged at Nassr’s King Saud University Stadium starting from 9 p.m. EAT.
It is a match that third-placed Duhail will be keen on winning in order to boost their chances of qualifying out of the group, but the task at hand is not an easy one as they face a team that has won both its group games and boasts an arsenal that has the likes of Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Seko Fofana, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozovic, and Alex Telles, among others.
Nassr top the group with six points. Iran’s Persepolis, with three points, are second, while Duhail and Istiklol, both with one point, occupy the third and fourth slots, respectively.
Speaking to the press ahead of the showdown, Olunga admitted that they understand that they are facing a good side but appeared unfazed, saying they are there to get the job done.
“Our preparations for this match were good; everyone is ready for it, and everyone respects the capabilities of Al Nassr players, and we know that we have to work on ourselves in order to present a strong match in a collective manner,” the Harambee Stars captain said.
He added that it will be an honour to share the pitch with the five-time world player of the year.
“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”.
He admits that their opponents have more players who could hurt them and that the focus shouldn’t only be on Ronaldo.
“Al-Nasr has a number of distinguished players who have succeeded in winning many titles in their professional careers, but we will face a complete system, and we will not face every player alone. Our motive for entering the match is to achieve a positive result that will help us continue our Asian journey.”
