Following the exhilarating 1-0 victory over regional rivals, Kano Pillars, at the Lafia City Stadium, last weekend, Nasarawa United have now diverted their attention to the ultimate test, an away clash against the Nigeria Premier Football League’s defending champions, Rangers International FC, at the iconic Nnamdi Azikiwe International Stadium, also known as ‘The Cathedral’, on Sunday, 3rd November, 2024, on match-day ten.
The Solid Miners who are still fresh from their last morale-boosting derby win will look to confidently face the daunting task against the Champions who are placed behind them on 9th position, though with similar points, twelve.
The defending champions lost their last home game to Ahmed Musa-inspired Kano Pillars 3-4, and forced a draw away to Kwara United in their last away game.
United are 8th on the log, and Anas Yusuf, who recently got invited to the B Team of Nigeria’s Super Eagles’ Squad, has been particularly lethal upfront this campaign, scoring nine goals in nine appearances for the Lafia-based side, making him the League’s top-scorer so far, with six of those goals coming via two hat-tricks.
The disciplined Solid Miners would be looking to pull an upset against the ‘Flying Antelopes’ as Rangers are nicknamed, by neutralizing their threats and tactical approach in Sunday’s clash.
United’s Technical Director, Kabir Dogo, is conscious of the task ahead of his 20-man travelling squad.
He told the Club’s Media shortly after Saturday’s training session at ‘The Cathedral’ this evening that, “We are aware of the challenge ahead, a very competitive match awaits us tomorrow(Sunday), but our recent win over Kano Pillars has given us confidence.
“We also got a huge financial motivation from the Nasarawa State Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development after our win over Pillars.
“So, we will need to be resilient, organized and clinical in front of goal to get a positive result in Enugu, tomorrow.”
The Nasarawa State Government had, on Thursday, redeemed the pledge of One Million Naira(N1,000,000.00) it made to the team prior to their last home win against four-time league champions, Kano Pillars.
The Honourable Commissioner, Jafaru Ango, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Ibrahim Adamu Alhassan, alongside Directors of the Organization, presented the cash sum to the team at their official Camp, in Lafia.
Kick-off time for tomorrow’s(Sunday’s )game against Rangers is slated for 4pm, local time, and live feeds from the match will be disseminated via the Nasarawa United’s official and dedicated Social Media Handles.
