It’s a
battle of two sides in the top four of the Nigeria Professional Football League
(NPFL) standings on Sunday as Abia Warriors and Rivers United go toe-to-toe in
Umuahia.
The Warriors
have proven the most difficult side to beat in the league this season and have
suffered just two reverses in 15 games.
In Kennedy
Boboye, Abia Warriors have one of the most progressive young coaches in the
country.
He punched
well above his weight last season with Akure club, Sunshine Stars and has
continued to lay down the marker with his new side.
Boboye, who
was recently appointed as a member of a three man consortium of coaches for
Nigeria’s Super Eagles, is however well aware of the threat posed by Sunday’s
high-flying visitors to the Umuahia Township Stadium.
“Rivers
United is a very good team blessed with very good players. Their strongest
point is their attack. I know some of their strikers recently picked up
injuries but I don’t know if they are back yet. I have already spoken to my
defenders to track them down so they don’t hurt us,” Boboye told Rivers United
Media.
The Umuahia
Stadium (Abia Warriors’ home ground) is a fortress, at least so far this
season.
No team has
won there this season but United come into Sunday’s game in boisterous mood
having won their last three games in the league.
The 3-1 win
over the leaders, Enugu Rangers in Port Harcourt on May 1 set the tone for a
shock 1-0 away win over Warri Wolves (a side that had not lost at home prior to
that game) a week ago.
United
followed that up with a routine 1-0 win over Wikki Tourists on Sunday to go
level on points with Rangers at the summit of the standings.
The United
manager, Stanley Eguma insists his charges are in Umuahia to get at least a
point.
“Abia
Warriors are a good side and they have proved that by their recent results in
the league. We have won three straight games but it will not get into our
heads. We will not underrate them but will instead work above our capacity
because a point in Umuahia will be extremely important. Our strategies will
have to be perfect if we are to achieve our objectives on Sunday,” he said.
Eguma can
afford to sound upbeat as he welcomes back captain, Festus Austin who was
suspended for the match day 16 clash with Wikki Tourists in Port Harcourt last
Wednesday.
Strikers,
Guy Kuemian and Wilson Andoh are also in the frame to make cameos against the
Warriors after they recovered from varying degrees of indisposition.
The duo
trained with the rest of the United squad on Friday evening before the team
travelled to Umuahia on Saturday.
Right back,
Chigozie Ihunda will however miss out as he is yet to recover from the knee
injury he sustained in United’s 1-0 success at Warri Wolves last Sunday.
As always,
all eyes will be on United’s pin up “Magic seven”, Bernard Ovoke who has been
peerless in the past month.
Ovoke has
scored four goals in as many matches for United and provided the assist for his
side’s only goal in the 1-0 win over Wikki in midweek.
The former
Bayelsa United man believes the “Pride of Rivers” can upset the apple cart by
becoming the first side in the league to win at Abia Warriors this term.
“I think we
can win because we are better than them. They are a
good side but we are going there to get all three points,” he submitted.
This one
promises to be an intense battle on Sunday afternoon as two ambitious sides go
all out to amass maximum points.
Form guide
(last five matches)
Abia
Warriors (LWDWL)
Abia
Warriors 0-1 Warri Wolves (A)
Abia
Warriors 3-1 MFM FC (H)
Abia
Warriors 0-0 FCIU (A)
Abia
Warriors 1-0 Giwa FC (H)
Abia
Warriors 2-3 Nasarawa United (A)
Rivers
United (WLWWW)
Rivers
United 1-0 Kano Pillars (H)
Rivers
United 1-2 Plateau United (A)
Rivers
United 1-0 Warri Wolves (A)
Rivers
United 1-0 Wikki Tourists (H)
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