Sunshine Stars, winless in their opening two NPFL league matches, will be looking for their first win when they face leaders Enyimba on Friday at 19:00 GMT.
With an opening loss and a draw, Sunshine Stars are level with Lobi Stars at the bottom of the group with one point after their first two outings. They will be looking for a shock win against leaders Enyimba on Friday as they look to start their title campaign in the NPFL.
Enyimba have started the championship campaign strongly with four points from six available in the opening two rounds of the NPFL stage of the championship. They will be looking to extend their lead at the top with another win when they face the Sunshine Stars on Friday.
Key highlights
Sunshine Stars A poor start to the Championship round
Sunshine opened their account in the league round with a 0-1 loss to Rivers United. Edube Duru’s 63rd minute penalty was enough to give Rivers the three points and the Sunshine’s first defeat.
The second match against Bendel ended in a 1-1 draw with each side earning a point. Bendel took the lead in the 7th minute through Divine Nwachukwu but Sunshine fought back and equalized through Ekerette Anthony Udom’s strike in the 62nd minute.
The Sunshine Stars need to take the next step and start winning in the NPFL Championship round if they want to have a chance to challenge for the title.
Starting with Friday’s clash against Enyimba, the Sunshine Stars will have a chance to make a strong statement of intent with a win over the early temps at the top of the table.
Enyimba’s strong start to the championship round
Enyimba opened their account in the league stage with a strong 2-2 draw against Remo Stars. They sealed the game when Chukwuemeka Obioma’s penalty in the 81st minute gave them a 2-1 lead.
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This lead was maintained until the 93rd minute when Remo Stars’ Nduka Junior equalized to deny Enyimba the three points.
However, Enyimba followed up this point with three in the clash against Lobi Stars on Monday. Chukwuemeka Obioma went close again with a 16th minute goal which was enough to see Enyimba win 0-1 and take all three points on offer.
Enyimba will look to make it two wins in a row at the NPFL Championship stage when they clash with Sunshine Stars on Friday.
Injury report
Sun stars
The Sunshine Stars’ injury woes are over in time for the championship round of the NPFL season. They will be able to use their full matchday squad on Friday ahead of their clash with leaders Enyimba.
Enyimba
Enyimba had good news regarding their team’s form going into Friday’s clash with Sunshine Stars. Although the turnover of Monday to Friday games is drastic, the manager will use the full squad to rotate and keep the squad fresh.
Possible lineups
Sun stars
J. Opubo; S. Olulayo, KA Adeyemi, LM Oladipupo, O. Abe; A. Wande, S. Olasupo, V. Temitope; L. Emmanuel, A. Alaba; F. Maichibi
Enyimba
O. Ojo; A. Adeleke, O. Adegbola, I. Obot, P. Eze; F. Abdullahi, S. Guerra, K. Obasi, A. Eriugo; C. Obioma, C. Esobe
Prediction
The Sun will be under pressure for most of the game. they will look tight and compact against a good Enyimba side.
Enyimba will focus on attacking spaces and using the inside channels with their passing. They will be active and play on the front foot.
Enyimba will win the match and consolidate their position at the top of the table at the start of the league stage.
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