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LOBI STARS, PILLARS, ENYIMBA CHASE SUPER-6 QUALIFICATION; NPFL SEASON APPROACHES FINISH LINE

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BY MUYIWA AKINTUNDE

The regular season of the 2018/19 Nigeria Professional Football League features its penultimate round of matches on Monday evening with Rangers in Group A and Akwa United (Group B) the only sides assured of the Super Six title playoff. The top three teams in each group will challenge for the crown at a later date using a format yet to be announced.

In Group A, defending champions Lobi Stars, Enyimba and MFM – in that order – are among the teams queueing behind leaders Rangers, while Kano Pillars, El-Kanemi Warriors and FC Ifeanyi Ubah trail Akwa United in Group B.

Lobi Stars will all but seal their top three finish if they beat visiting Wikki Tourists. The first leg in Bauchi ended 1-1.

Wikki Tourists themselves have not given up hope of being one of the number when the Super Six is constituted. If Bauchi side win their final two matches of the season – the last being at home to Rangers – they may well be in the mix for the title battle.

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Enyimba, in third place in the group, welcome to Aba Niger Tornadoes with whom they played goalless in the first leg. If they triumph, the People’s Elephant will also boost their aspiration of contesting for the title they last won in 2015.

Tornadoes will be relegated if they lose in Aba.

In Lagos, fourth placed MFM welcome Katsina United; both had played 1-1 in Katsina earlier in the season. The Olukoya Boys’ inconsistency have caused them troubles. From leading the group up till midway in the season, MFM have now fallen out of the top three and require favours from other teams to bounce back, even if they win their last two matches.

Katsina United themselves remain in contention for the top three but that hope will be extinguished if they don’t pick maximum points in Lagos.

Sunshine Stars may be a step above the bottom four but have three teams on their heels, including their hosts this evening Bendel Insurance, who will leap out of the relegation zone if they pull their sixth victory of the season. Too many draws (10 in all, like Lobi Stars) have landed Insurance in troubled waters. Both sides played 1-1 in Akure in the first leg.

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Kwara United are condemned to beat Remo Stars if they are not to go down like their visitors. Remo Stars, who are playing their last matches in the topflight, triumphed 2-1 in the first leg.

In Group B, Kano Pillars and El-Kanemi Warriors complete the present top three together with Akwa United. And all three have home advantage this Matchday.

Pillars welcome to Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano Delta Force who got defeated in the first leg 0-2. Victory for Pillars will make their last match away to Abia Warriors not so important as they would have qualified for the Super Six, which victory over Delta Force will ensure.

But with Asaba-based side needing all six points in their remaining fixtures and determined to pay Pillars back in their own coins, the battle is expected to be fierce in Kano.

El-Kanemi Warriors, in third spot, engage fourth placed FC Ifeanyi Ubah in a game that may determine which of these big teams will drop out of the top three. The Nnewi side managed a lone goal victory the first time they both met this season.

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While Nasarawa United, Heartland and Abia Warriors have all not given up trying to make the top three, their realistic focus should be on not slipping down into the bottom four. For instance, three points separate sixth placed Nasarawa United from Plateau United, who lead the relegation squad, with two matches remaining.

The other teams in the drop zone are Go Round FC, Gombe United and Yobe Desert Stars, who already know their fate. While Plateau United are expected to take advantage of Yobe Desert Stars’ low spirit to win and wriggle out of trouble, Nasarawa United and Go Round FC as well as Gombe United and Heartland will be engaged in relegation dogfights.

MATCHDAY 21 FIXTURES…

GROUP A

  •  Rangers v Rivers United
  •  Kwara United v Remo Stars
  •  Enyimba v Niger Tornadoes
  • MFM v Katsina United,
  •  Bendel Insurance v Sunshine Stars
  •  Lobi Stars v Wikki Tourists (all 4pm)

GROUP B: 

  • Plateau United v Yobe Desert Stars
  • Nasarawa United v Go Round FC
  • Kano Pillars v Delta Force
  • El-Kanemi Warriors v FC IfeanyiUbah
  • Gombe United v Heartland
  • Akwa United v Abia Warriors (all 4pm)

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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