Following what has been a challenging year for Akwa United on the pitch, the club will be hoping to bid a victorious farewell to 2024 and banish such bad memories before the turn of the new year as they aim to go for their 6th league win over Remo Stars in nine meetings this Sunday in Ikenne.
The Promise Keepers arrived Ogun state Friday evening ahead of their matchday 19 fixture against league leaders Remo Stars who are fourteen points above them on the Nigeria Premier Football League table.
Akwa United fresh from their 2-0 win over Heartland FC on matchday 18 will be hoping to record their first away win of the season in ten attempts following a run of one draw and eight defeats in their previous nine outings as the first stanza of the 2024-25 season draws to a close this weekend.
Interim coach Umar Abdullahi has kept faith with bulk of the team that featured in the 2-0 win over Heartland FC in Uyo for the game in Ikenne, with the only exception being the absence of centre backs, Wisdom Ndon (injury) and Endurance Ebedebiri (suspension).
The coaching crew will rely on the experience of veteran defender Ferinyaro Abdullahi and on the versatility of youngsters Charles Etim and Olakunle Akala to fill the void in that department.
With five goals under his kitty and four in his last four matches this month, the Promise Keepers will be expecting goals from in-form striker Chijioke Alaekwe and from youngster Friday Apollos who has scored four times since making his NPFL debut at the start of the season.
In an exclusive interview with the club’s media department, coach Abdullahi says he is impressed with the confidence level of his players and revealed that the boys are determined to go for a positive result in Ikenne on Sunday.
“I have observed that the spirit in camp is positive and the level of competition among the players is very encouraging. I’m impressed with what we have been able to achieve in training and the evidence was clear in the way we played our last match in Uyo.
“This is our last match before the end of the first stanza and we are fully prepared to give it our best shot because we know getting a result on the road is not impossible. My boys are determined to prove their worth and I trust in their ability to deliver on Sunday”.
Remo Stars and Akwa United have met eight times in the league with the Promise Keepers enjoying a superior head-to-head record with five victories to Remo Stars two wins while one of those games ended in a 2-2 draw.
The match, which will be shown live on StarTimes Television, is scheduled to kickoff at half-past five (5:30pm) in the afternoon. Live updates of the game will be available on all Akwa United social media platforms.
