Star Madrid coach Michael Osei believes Asante Kotoko can make it out of the group stage of the Caf Confederation Cup.

The Porcupine Warriors open their campaign against Al Hilal Omdurman in Group C on February 3 in Sudan and will host Nkana FC ten days later.

“I monitored them throughout the qualifying rounds and they did very well. I was personally impressed with the kind of football they played,” Osei told NL Radio.

“They should keep up with this kind of performance and I believe they will make it past the group stage. No one expected them to get to the group stage and it is a plus for them so I will urge them to work harder and make it to the quarterfinals because they have the potential to reach that level in the competition.

“This stage is more difficult because you have the best teams and players who want to prove a point but I believe Kotoko can succeed," he added.

Osei was an assistant coach to David Duncan during 2014-15 season at Kotoko before he was named the substantive coach following the departure of his former boss.