Nigeria, Jan. 24 -- For Rivers United, this is the point where ambition must confront reality, and where belief must outweigh circumstance.

Ahead of their Matchday Three CAF Champions League group-stage clash against Zambia's Power Dynamos, head coach Finidi George faced the media in Ndola with a message that was clear, defiant, and rooted in long-term vision: Rivers United are not here to survive, they are here to compete.

With two defeats from their opening two games, Rivers United sit at a delicate juncture in Group A. Power Dynamos, their hosts in Zambia, are in the same position, winless and desperate. That symmetry makes this encounter pivotal. Matchday Three marks the halfway point of the group phase, where qualification hopes ar...