CAF Champions League: Medeama confident of overturning Mazembe deficit in Lubumbashi - Ibrahim Tanko

Medeama SC coach Ibrahim Tanko says his side remain confident they can overturn their 1-0 deficit against TP Mazembe and reach the next round of the CAF Champions League.

The Ghanaian side were beaten narrowly by the Congolese giants in the first leg in Tarkwa and now face a difficult task in Saturday's second leg in Lubumbashi.

Tanko acknowledged Mazembe's tactical discipline in the opening match, particularly the way they approached the game as the away side.

“They play very well. Their organisation was very good,” Tanko said at the pre-match press conference.

“Definitely, if you are going away in the first leg, you have to plan something. Then you wait for us and try to counter, and it worked for them.”

Despite the defeat, Tanko believes Medeama created enough chances to get a different result and says better finishing could have changed the outcome.

“But I think, like I said, a lot of chances that we created, if we had scored, then it would have been a very different game altogether,” he added.

The former Ghana international remains respectful of Mazembe but insists Medeama have the quality to compete with the five-time African champions.

“I think they have the quality and we also have quality. So, let's see what will happen tomorrow,” Tanko said.

Medeama must score in Lubumbashi to have a chance of progressing, while also preventing Mazembe from extending their aggregate advantage.

The second leg will kick off at 14:00 GMT on Saturday in Lubumbashi, with Medeama seeking to produce a comeback on the road.