It is another battle for survival as Shooting Stars FC of Ibadan host Katsina United in one of the week 29 fixtures of the Nigerian Professional Football League, (NPFL) on Sunday afternoon in Ibadan.
The first leg of this tie ended 1-1 in Katsina with a late minute goal by Rasheed Olaniran to give the Oluyole Warriors a vital away point. That’s was in week nine.
At present, things are not rosy for the hosts and being neck deep in relegation waters, they need every point they can muster to survive and this tie provides an opportunity.
Although, Shooting Stars got a promising away point against arch rival Rangers last week, still 33 points from 28 games in 19th position is a scary story to tell, hence all the remaining 10 games are important.
This position was echoed by the team’s technical adviser Fatai Amoo.
“Our result against Rangers was worth more than millions, and I give it to my players for their fighting spirit, we should keep our heads up and focus on the next home game against Katsina. The position we are is scary and we must start winning games to survive”, Amoo concludes.
Right now, the team is motivated. Apart from the Rangers result, the players on injuries are back and better which gives the coaches enough options to chose from.
Also, with the team’s vociferous home fans in the stands, the end result should be positive for the Shooting Stars.
For Katsina United, Ibadan has not been a fertile ground in recent times. Their last visit was negative with a 1-2 loss but a check on them on Saturday evening revealed a team with positive vibes.
Their mind set is to reclaim at least a point they lost to the Oluyole Warriors on their home ground in Katsina and boost their 12th position with 38 points from 28 games.
By and large, it is going to be an interesting game as the stage is set at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba for an epic game to determine another survival battle.
Packaged by Olanrewaju Agiri
