Tusker FC face a decisive afternoon at Nyayo National Stadium today when they host Sudanese side Al Ahli Madani in the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary-round tie, with kick-off scheduled for 3pm.

The Brewers will be seeking to turn home advantage into qualification after surrendering a two-goal lead in the first leg in Kigali, where the two sides played out a dramatic 2-2 draw.

Tusker appeared firmly in control at Kigali Pelé Stadium a fortnight ago after forward Victor Balma struck twice in the first half to give Julien Mette’s side a commanding advantage.

However, Al Ahli Madani produced a determined second-half comeback. Al-Samani Al-Sawi pulled one back from a set-piece before converting a stoppage-time penalty to rescue a draw for the Sudanese side.

The late collapse left Tusker frustrated, with Mette admitting that his team lacked the maturity required to protect a two-goal advantage.

“Everybody said it was a positive result, but then again, when you are leading 2-0, you have to secure it. The lack of maturity cost us,” Mette said.

The French coach believes the experience of the first meeting has given Tusker a much clearer picture of what to expect in Nairobi.

The Brewers had struggled to gather sufficient information on Al Ahli before the opening match, particularly because the Sudanese side had several new players whose roles were difficult to establish from friendly matches.

“We have seen three friendly games for them. It was hard also to find the footage,” Mette explained.

One of the players who proved difficult to identify was Al-Samani Al-Sawi, who eventually scored both of Al Ahli’s goals in Kigali.

“The number 10 who scored the set-piece and then scored the penalty, we haven’t been able to identify him because we have seen three friendly games for them. In this friendly game, he played maybe 10 minutes,” Mette said.

That uncertainty has now been removed.

“This is the difficulty of the first round. You are playing a team with new players, and you have to analyse friendly games. We have been able to see 80 per cent of the way they play, but we have missed 20 per cent of some players and some strengths that they have,” he added.

Mette has since put his players through video sessions aimed at correcting the weaknesses exposed in Kigali.

“We have watched it, and we have been doing video sessions, and that is my job also to work on the weaknesses we have had. And we have trained on that, so now they are prepared,” he said.

Tusker know exactly what is required this afternoon. A win will send them into the second preliminary round, while a 0-0 or 1-1 draw will also see the Brewers progress.

“If we are not able to win or to secure the qualification, it means that we don’t have the level in terms of tactical and mental,” he said.

Al Ahli Madani, meanwhile, arrive in Nairobi with confidence after demonstrating their ability to fight back from adversity.

Winger Jean Marc Moutsinga believes the comeback in Kigali showed the character within the squad.

“We were losing 2-0; from 2-0 to 2-2, we saw the team spirit and fighting spirit from the second half to the last minute of the game,” Moutsinga said.

The visitors have also used the first leg to study Tusker, with Moutsinga revealing that they have identified areas they intend to target at Nyayo.

“We have scouted them as we played against them. We saw their strengths and their weakness. So we’re going to use their weaknesses in our game,” he said.

Coach Aliyu Zubairu credited his players for their response after the interval, saying his halftime message helped transform their performance.

“After going to the dressing room at halftime, I think I spoke to the boys that they needed to bring out their best and play their game. So I think from halftime we had total dominance,” Aliyu said.

The Sudanese coach is also refusing to regard playing away from home as a decisive disadvantage, insisting that organisation and focus will be more important than the venue.

That sets up an intriguing contest at Nyayo. Tusker have the home advantage and the benefit of having now experienced Al Ahli’s strengths first-hand. The Sudanese side, on the other hand, travel to Nairobi with the confidence of having overturned a two-goal deficit in the opening leg.

The visitors will hope Al-Samani Al-Sawi and their second-half resurgence can once again unsettle Tusker, while Mette’s side will look to Balma and the home support to provide the cutting edge required to settle the tie.

The aggregate winner will advance to the second preliminary round, where they will probably meet Singida black Stars.