As the 2018 Nigeria Professional Football League season enters week three this weekend, defending champions, Plateau United are proving to be the team to beat as they are yet to drop a point.
The champions got their title defence off to a flying start on the opening day of the season as they recorded a massive 1-0 away win over neighbours Nasarawa United before following up with another 2-0 win over Rivers United midweek at the New Jos Township stadium.
It will be recalled that in 2017, Plateau United proved bookmakers wrong when they conquered all odds to win their first ever Nigeria Professional Football, League, NPFL, title.
Although they had struggled against relegation in the 2016 season, Plateau United with the arrival of Coach Kennedy Boboye was transformed into a formidable team that couldn’t be stopped.
After playing 38 matches, Plateau United amassed 66 points to win the league title and a ticket to represent Nigeria in this year’s CAF Champions League.
Their closest rivals, MFM of Lagos ended on 62 points to pick the remaining CAF Champions League just as Enyimba FC leapfrogged Akwa United on the final day to win the ticket to play in this year’s CAF Confederation Cup.
Although they did not impress in their pre-season friendly matches including their lack-lustre performance in the LMC Super 6 tournament in Kano, Plateau United have proved so far that they want to retain their title.
Even as they share the top position with Niger Tornadoes at the moment, Plateau United have sent the signals that they are out for serious business of winning the NPFL title back to back.
This weekend, they will be up against Abia Warriors in Umuahia. It is an interesting fixture because the present coach of Plateau United, Boboye once handled Abia Warriors but left Umuahia in unpleasant circumstances.
Definitely, he will be going back to his former club to prove to them that he deserved better treatment in their hands.
While Abia Warriors will be looking for their second win, Boboye’s men will be in the hunt for their third victory, which is possible, if they would put their acts together.
Emeka Umeh who scored the second goal against Rivers United on Wednesday will lead Plateau United’s attack with other strikers like Benjamin Turba, Joshua Obaje, Kabiru Umar, King Osanga and Tosin Omoyele complementing him.
However with experienced campaigners like Efugh Chinedu ‘Chichago’, Asiegbu Shedrack, Anthony Okemmiri, Mohammed Garba and Sheriff Bashir, Plateau United will be treading on banana peels.
Niger Tornadoes who are joint leaders with plateau United are so far the surprise team of the season and will be hoping to maintain their unbeaten run when they come up against Wikki Tourists in Jos.
Tornadoes surprised pundits when they defeated Kwara United 2-0 on the opening day in Ilorin and followed up with another home win over FC IfeanyiUbah whom they beat 2-1 to maintain a perfect start.
Their opponents had an opening day win over new comers Go Round FC but were turned back 2-0 by returnees Yobe Desert Stars in their second match. They will therefore be all out for the maximum points against Tornadoes.
Going by their present form, Tornadoes are highly favoured to get at least a point against Wikki. Coach Erasmus Onuh whose appointment as replacement for former technical adviser Abubakar Bala came to many as a surprise will count on Eric Frimpong, Solomon Owello, Segun Alebiosu and Sani Abanni for goals against the Tourists.
In Uyo, Akwa United who suffered a 1-0 defeat in the hands of debutants Go Round will try to return to winning ways as they host Yobe Desert Stars. Kelly Kester, Dennis Nya, Victor Mboama, Adeshina Gata who have proved to be useful additions to the ‘promise keepers’ should propel them over Baba Ganaru’s side.
However with experienced players like Philiph Auta, Ali Aliyu, Buhari Musa, Chinedu Ohanacho and former Kano Pillars man Shagari Mohammed a veteran of the league who will be pulling the strings in the midfield for the boys from the desert, Akwa United will have a hard nut to crack.
Former champions, Kano Pillars who are yet to taste defeat will travel down to the South-South, Port-Harcourt to be precise for a tricky tie against Rivers United.
While the coach Stanley Eguma side suffered a slim 1-0 loss to El-Kanemi Warriors, Kano Pillars revenged their 2-1 defeat in the hands of Nasarawa United last year with a convincing 2-0 win at the Sani Abacha stadium.
Junior Lokosa and Alhassan Ibrahim who have scored back to back for the ‘masu gida’ boys have formed a deadly partnership and will wreck havoc, if not watched closely by Rivers United defenders.
At the Muhammadu Dikko stadium Katsina, the ‘chanji boys’ as Katsina United are called will host heavy weights Enyimba FC of Aba as they seek for their first win of the season.
The coach Abdullahi Biffo tutored side narrowly escaped defeat in the hands of perennial rivals Kano Pillars on the opening day of the season but were not lucky in their second match in Akure where they crashed to a 2-1 defeat to Sunshine Stars.
Enyimba FC may be favoured to get at least a point in this fixture but if Katsina United’s playmaker Destiny Ashadi is available to propel the likes of Tasiu Lawal, Kingsley Eleje Obinna, Usule Martins, Usman Bara’u, Ajanah Chinedu and Odeyemi Ebenezer, then the ‘peoples elephants’ might return to Aba empty handed.
And the best team of the midweek fixtures, Lobi Stars who recovered from their opening day 1-1 draw in Makurdi with Enyimba FC to beat Rangers International 2-1 in Enugu will host newcomers Go Round of Omoku.
This is a tricky tie for Lobi Stars because not much is known about the debutants who punched above their weight to a 1-0 win over Akwa United for their first win in the topflight.
Lobi Stars captain Anthony Agbaji in a chat with SHOT! said it will not be an easy match. “Considering our superlative performance against Rangers, one may be tempted to write off Go Round but this is one mistake we are not ready to make.
“We do not know much about them and this is the reason we won’t take anything for granted. They won their last match against a formidable side like Akwa United so we won’t underrate them,” he said.
In Maiduguri, El-Kanemi Warriors will hope to make maximum use of the double home fixtures as they welcome MFM. Ageless Bello Kofar-mata whose lone strike handed the Warriors victory over Abia Warriors on Wednesday will lead the charge for another three points.
Meanwhile, the whipping teams Kwara United, Enugu Rangers and Nasarawa United will also be in search of their first points as they have so far suffered back to back defeats.
After suffering a 2-0 loss on the opening day in Uyo, former champions Enugu Rangers were beaten 2-1 by Lobi Stars in Enugu. Their oriental derby with Heartland offers them the opportunity to pick their first points but the ‘Naze millionaires’ who are still basking in the euphoria of their 0-0 draw with Enyimba won’t like to settle for anything less than the three points.
Kwara United will also be in Nnewi to attempt to bring their campaign on track as they seek for points against FC IfeanyiUbah. Going by the performance of the John Obuh boys, it will be hard for them to surmount the hurdle in Nnewi but they have former Rangers man, Dada Bitrus, former FC IfeanyiUbah striker, Gata Ismaila and Aliyu Yakubu to push them.
In Lafia, Nasarawa United, another side that has nothing in its kitty will host inform Sunshine Stars of Akure. Kabiru Dogo and his boys are literally gasping for air so early in the day and their woes may be compounded by the ‘Akure gunners’ who defeated Katsina United 2-1 on Wednesday.
So all eyes will be on Plateau United and Niger Tornadoes, joint owners of the top spot including Nasarawa United, Kwara United and Enugu Rangers who are already faced with relegation even as the league is just two weeks old.
