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Rangers arrive in Lagos as NPFL’s matchday four games hold today

By Samuel Ifetoye
23 January 2019   |   4:16 am
Enugu Rangers will play their first match in the four-week-old Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) in Lagos today when they trade tackles...

MFM of Lagos and Enugu Rangers vying for points in one of the games of the 2017/2018 NPFL season. Both teams will meet again at the Agege Stadium…today. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI.

Enugu Rangers will play their first match in the four-week-old Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) in Lagos today when they trade tackles with MFM at the Agege Stadium.

Rangers’ first tow matches of the season were postponed by the League Management Company (LMC) to allow the Flying Antelopes time to deal with their opponents in the CAF Confederation Cup. And having successfully navigated the preliminary stage of the Confederation Cup, Rangers say they are now ready for the league. But they meet a fired up MFM FC, whose coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu has predicted a tough clash at the Agege Stadium.

Rangers have the upper hand in matches involving both sides with two wins, two draws and a loss, but Ilechukwu says the visitors are in for their second defeat today.

“We’ve prepared very well to face Rangers and we are not going to leave any stone unturned because the three points is very important.

“As you can see, there were a lot of draws and as well away win in Sunday’s games and it shows everybody is doing well to get results. We have prepared very well. We have a lot of good preparation knowing fully well that Rangers is a very good side,” he told MFM FC Media.

Ilechukwu acknowledged that “Rangers have one of the best coaches in Nigeria without any sentiment and when the best coach is around he must gather the best players as well. They have a lot of quality players but we want to maintain our home record because is very important to us.

“We have had close to three to four days rest because of Lobi’s CAF Champions League engagement and I think that’s a big advantage for us,” he said.

In other matches, Katsina United will host Wikki Tourists FC at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, while Sunshine Stars will welcome Rivers United at the Akure Township Stadium. These are Group A matches.

Other matches in the group will see Enyimba hosting the country’s CAF Champions League sole ambassador, Lobi Stars of Makurdi in Aba, while returnee, Bendel Insurance FC will square up against Kwara United at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, just as Remo Stars FC will battle with Niger Tornadoes at the Bako Kotangora Stadium, Minna, Niger State.

In the group B, FC Ifeanyi Ubah will host Yobe Desert Stars FC at the FC Ifeanyi Ubah Stadium, while Go Round FC will visit inform Heartland FC of Owerri.

Akwa United will host Plateau United at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, just as El-Kanemi FC and Nasarawa United are expected to light up El-Kanemi Sports Stadium, Maiduguri, while Gombe United FC will tackle Kano Pillars in a northern derby. Kada City will be in Umuahia Township Stadium to fight for three points against hosts, Abia Warriors.

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