The first round of the 2015/16 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season comes to a close on Sunday with one of the stand out fixtures billed to take place in Makurdi.
Lobi Stars face the leaders, Rivers United at the Aper Aku Stadium in a contest that should intrigue and excite in equal measure.
Kingsley Eduwo and Anthony Okpotu have been two of Lobi’s most impressive performers this season but they miss out on Sunday’s fixture as they are both suspended.
Okpotu, Lobi’s main outlet for goals this term (he has ensured the net bulged nine times this season) says United should not be lulled into a false sense of security as a result of his absence.
“My teammates will miss me (on Sunday) but I am very confident in the players who will replace me and my strike partner, Eduwo.
“I believe the other strikers (who get selected to play) will step up to the plate.
“It hurts not to play in such an important game but there is nothing anyone can do now,” Okpotu told Rivers United Media.
Lobi Stars head coach, Godwin ‘Koko’ Uwua, also took the time to discuss the suspension of Okpotu and Eduwo, explaining that it does not set the cat among the pigeons for his side.
“The boys are important to me quite alright but without them, the team can still move on and that is why we registered 30 players for the season.
“And for me, the first 20 of these 30 players (registered by Lobi Stars for this season’s NPFL campaign) are extremely important but this is a chance for those that don’t get to play regularly to prove themselves.
“They now have a chance to prove to me that they deserve to be in the team ahead of players like Eduwo and Okpotu.
“This is actually a good situation for me,” Uwua added.
Lobi Stars, currently six points adrift of United, will considerably close the gap on their guests with a win on Sunday.
The ‘Ortom Boys’ have impressed with solid results this term and Uwua puts it down to a burning desire of his players to put financial rewards away from the front burner.
“My philosophy is simple. I have taught the boys how to be winners.
“Before we signed up any player, we made him understand he was coming here to work and not because of money.
“The objective is to put smiles on the faces of Benue people (Lobi Stars is owned by the Benue State Government).
Lobi’s opponents on Sunday, Rivers United, have punched above their weight this season.
The ‘Pride of Rivers’, formed just three months and three days ago, astonishingly sit top of the NPFL log and only 90 minutes separate them from being crowned champions at the halfway mark of the season.
Talk of a title push has however been quickly quelled by the technical manager of Rivers United, Stanley Eguma.
“Talking about us winning the title at this stage of the season is an insult to all the other teams in the league.
“It is still too early to start talking about such things because we have not even gotten to the half way stage of the season.
“There are still so many games to be played but our objectives are clear to us.
“We will continue working hard and taking things one game at a time,” he said.
Eguma is still without first choice defenders, Yaovi Douhadji and Chigozie Ihunda while Ghanaian marksman, Godbless Asamoah who suffered a hamstring strain in midweek did not travel to Makurdi.
Ivoirian star, Guy Kuemian however made a welcome return to first team action when he played for the first time since April 10 in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Akwa United in Port Harcourt.
Eguma knows a win in Makurdi will see United open up a lead at the summit of the standings but acknowledges that his side are underdogs going into Sunday’s fixture.
“Lobi Stars are the favourites in this game because they have been impressive this season and will have their fans behind them (on Sunday).
“However, before we played against Warri Wolves (in Warri on May 8), nobody gave us a chance to win but we did.
“So we will go to Makurdi with the same spirit and hopefully, come back to Port Harcourt with maximum points.
“My players understand the task at hand and I have implicit trust in them,” he said.
Rivers United have won four of their last five games but will need to raise the stakes even higher to get anything from the fixture against Lobi, a side yet to suffer a home reverse this season.
Form guide (last five matches)
Lobi Stars (LLWDW)
Lobi Stars 1-0 Niger Tornadoes (H)
Lobi Stars 2-2 Enyimba (A)
Lobi Stars 1-0 MFM FC (H)
Lobi Stars 0-1 FCIU (A)
Lobi Stars 1-2 Nasarawa United (A)
Rivers United (WLWWW)
Rivers United 3-1 Enugu Rangers (H)
Rivers United 1-0 Warri Wolves (A)
Rivers United 1-0 Wikki Tourists (H)
Rivers United 0-1 Abia Warriors (A)
Rivers United 1-0 Akwa United (H)
Prediction: Lobi Stars 0-1 Rivers United.
By Sammy Wejinya
Rivers United Media Officer.
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