Gomes tips Rayon to progress to CL first round

Rayon Sports coach Didier Gomes da Rosa is confident about his team’s chances of reaching the first round proper of the 2014 CAF Orange Champions League. The Rwandan champions will take on Congo-Brazzaville’s side AS Leopard in the two-legged preliminary round tie.First leg is due on the weekend of February 7-9 in Brazzaville and the return leg in Kigali a week later.Gomes said recently, “It is a draw for us, and I hope we will do well and progress to the next round. We are leaving nothing to chance in our preparation and I know it will be difficult for us especially in the first leg, but I am happy that we’ll play the return leg at home.”“AS Leopard are a tough team, which has won their country’s league title for two consecutive seasons and they reached the group stage (of the CAF Champions League) last season, so they are more experienced in this competition but that does not mean we can’t beat them even at their own backyard. We’re Rayon Sport and must go with the right mentality,” the Frenchman stated.Rayon Sports last played in the CAF Champions League in 2005 but never managed to get past the first round after losing to DR Congo’s Motema Pembe. Rayon won the return leg in Kigali 2-0 but it wasn’t enough as they had lost the first leg 3-0.Gomes joined the seven-time Rwandan league champions last season and went to guide the Blues to their first league title in eight years.Rayon are currently second on the league log with 22 points, one behind the leaders APR after 11 rounds of matches.