Posted by The Vanguard on
Inspired by their 2-2 draw with Gabros of Nnewi in Onitsha last weekend and management's show of appreciation, players of Insurance FC of Benin will throw everything into this afternoon's encounter against Gombe United at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
Inspired by their 2-2 draw with Gabros of Nnewi in Onitsha last weekend and management's show of appreciation, players of Insurance FC of Benin will throw everything into this afternoon's encounter against Gombe United at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.
The visiting ‘Scorpions' have been thrown off the first three places on the log after they could only earn a point from their home match against Enugu Rangers. Iwuanyanwu Nationale have gone to the fourth position and Julius Berger, the first team to beat Shooting Stars in Ibadan in this year's campaign before Sharks FC took their own turn last weekend, are third.
Gombe could still revive hopes of a continental ticket if they pick maximum points from this game in Benin. But Insurance, with 24 points and in 15th place on the table, want to bounce out of the relegation zone and will clutch at any opportunity that presents itself.
Disappointing Gateway FC, bounced 2-0 out of Makurdi by Lobi Stars last week, face ambitious Kano Pillars at the MKO Abiola Stadium with a new coach in charge, after former Shooting Stars veteran, Niyi Akande, was sacked mid-week. He is Kola Taiwo, head coach of the Ogun State Sports Council.
The ex-international knows there is absolutely no time to waste, and he must start to produce the results immediately if the boys of the Rock City will not go back to the pro league where they came from by the end of the season. Things are looking far from bright and Chief Odegbami is not sitting easy after mid-season recruits also failed to deliver in the Coca-Cola FA Cup, with the OGD boys losing to Iwuanyanwu Nationale of Owerri in the Round of 16
Zamfara United from Gusau are away to 13th placed Wikki Tourists, while El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri are on holiday since opponents, Dolphin, are away to Egypt on a CAF Confederation Cup assignment. Zamfara have gone down to 17th position on the table and must buckle up to avoid an immediate return to the pro league.
Tomorrow, what should have been the star match of Week 23 is on hold, with African champions, Enyimba, playing Raja Casablanca of Morocco in a make-or-break CAF Champions League tie in Aba.
But the match between Lobi Stars and Kwara United can stand as the pick, with both teams going through some rejuvenation at the moment. Both are equally matched on the table, with 31 points from 21 matches and same goals difference, though Lobi are better on goals scored. For sure, it is a fight-to-finish at the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, where Lobi cruised to a 2-0 victory over Gateway on Sunday.
Two high-flying teams, Julius Berger and Nassarawa are head-on at the Lafia Township Stadium tomorrow, while Gabros, who saw Coach Godfrey Esu walk out the door early in the week, square up against Nationale in Owerri. Second-from-bottom Tornadoes have a battle on their hands as they play Rangers at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu.