APR FC head coach, Darko Novic admits it will be difficult to overcome Pyramids FC in Cairo but remains optimistic that his side can defy the odds and qualify for the CAF Champions League group stages.

Pyramids achieved a hard-fought 1-1 draw against APR FC in the first leg of the preliminary round in Kigali on Saturday, September 14.

They were 1-0 down since the 50^th minute when Moroccan right-back Mohamed Chibi inadvertently deflected the ball into his own net, giving the hosts a temporary lead before Congolese forward Fiston Mayele rose to the occasion, heading in a brilliant equalizer just nine minutes before the final whistle, securing the draw for the Egyptian Premier League runners-up.

ALSO READ: CAF CL: Mayele scores late equaliser as Pyramids hold APR in Kigali

Novic admits his side missed several chances, even when they were 1-0 ahead, before the visitors use very few they had to manage a draw which didn’t down well with tens of thousands who had turned up to support the club at Amahoro Stadium.

"Honestly, it is a difficult task to deal with; we have an uphill battle in the return leg away from home in Egypt. But we still have a chance. I hope we can score goals over there and turn things around. We must go into the next game with a positive mindset and confidence,” the Serbian tactician told the press in a post-match interview.

"In the first half we missed several chances. We kept pushing and scored a goal but we conceded another in the final minutes which is very bad,” he added.

Despite the draw, Novic said his side will be calmly preparing for the crucial return leg as he looks to help the Rwandan champions overcome past disappointments in continental competitions since its foundation in 1995 and qualify for the group stages.

"We have to think with a never-give-up spirit in second leg. We were the better team throughout on field despite draw and it should have given us a bit of an advantage going into the return leg,” he noted.

"We can’t think about drawing now, we have to forget immediately that now we need to prepare for the next match and devise other options which can help us to win the game and that’s what we are going to do," he added.

APR have a primary objective to qualify for the Champions League group stage for the first time in the club's history but hopes seem to be almost scarce after only managing a draw against a team that sent them packing last season with a 6-1 humiliation in Egypt.

Pyramids will welcome APR in the return leg in Cairo on September 20.