The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) returns with matchday 14, featuring nine thrilling midweek clashes across the country. The Southwestern derby between Remo Stars and Shooting Stars headlines Wednesday’s fixtures, alongside other intriguing matchups.

Remo Stars will seek to defend their dominance in the region over Shooting Stars, while Rivers United will be all out to preserve their first position on the NPFL log. For El Kanemi Warriors, they have a tough assignment in Lagos against Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan.

League so far

The league has witnessed several derbies with some going according to the script while others produced surprising results. This makes Wednesday’s Southwestern derby somewhat unpredictable.

Going into the match in Ikenne, Remo Stars have failed to score in three consecutive games, including a barren draw at home with Rivers United, an away draw to Enyimba, and a defeat to Katsina United last Sunday. According to Opta Nigeria, this is the first time the Ikenne Warlords are going through such a goal drought in a year.

An interesting stat shows that Rabiu Ali’s last six goals in the NPFL have all come from set pieces, with four of them in the second half. The Kano Pillars’ skipper is one of the highest goal scorers on the road, alongside Kwara United’s player Emmanuel Ogbole.

The barren draw in Owerri between Heartland and Rangers was the first time both teams failed to score after 90 minutes since 2016. All their contests have produced a minimum of a goal.

So far, 250 goals have been scored in 129 games. Anthony Okachi of Shooting Stars scored the league’s 250th goal.

Source: Premiumtimesng.com