The Solomon Islands national champions Solomon Warriors will take on the debutants from Tahiti at Stade Numa Daly in the first match of the group C of OFC Champions League 2020. The Solomon Islanders will not count on two important players in the group stage – Loea Mani and Tony Kaltack – and will hope to use their experience in the tournament to surpass the current runners-up from Tahiti.
The Tahitians will want to impress in their first time in the regional tournament and will rely on the experience of their captain Tevaihau Tehuritaua and the Tahitian international Manarii Porlier upfront. The green and white side will also expect a good performance from their two imports from Benin: the midfielder Brison Avodagbé and the forward Bio Odo Chabi.
Tony Kaltack was the top scorer for Solomon Warriors in their winning campaign at Telekom S-League – his absence will be a huge blow for Warriors. The Solomon Islands champions will expect the experienced Dennis Ifunaoa can take the responsibilty to put his side forward in order to achieve a very important victory. The also experienced Gibson Daudau can be also very influential for the Solomon Islanders upfront, alongside another important offensive options as Molea Tigi and Jerry Donga.
The Solomon Islands international and team captain Haddis Aengari might be the crucial piece of Warriors defence, alongside the also Solomon Islands national team member Emmanuel Poila.
The Most Valuable Player of the Telekom S-League 2019 season, the Ni-Vanuatu international John Alick, is set to be the star-player of Warriors in the OFC Champions League. The midfielder can contribute offensively and also defensively, being a key player for the sucess of the Honiara-based club.
Both sides really need to start well their campaigns in the competitions: the Cook Islanders of Tupapa Maraerenga withdrew from the tournament after problems with their squad, something that adds much more importance to this initial clash in New Caledonia.
Oceania Football Center 