NPFL: Akwa United redemption mission begins at home against Remo Stars
Akwa United will resume their 2024-25 Nigeria Premier Football League season with a home fixture against league leaders Remo Stars at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Sunday in what will be their first league match in the new year.
The Promise Keepers ended the first round of the season in 19th position following a run of five victories, four draws and ten loses, managing 19 points from the same number of matches.
The 2021 league champions appear solid and ready for the second stanza following some technical changes effected by the management of the club which has seen the return of coach Kennedy Boboye as the head coach following the resignation of coach Muhammed Babaganaru who left the club before the end of the first round.
Coach Boboye who led Akwa United to their first league triumph in 2021 arrived in Uyo with his assistant coach Ifeanyi Nwachukwu and both have teamed up with other assistant coaches to embark on a redemption mission of taking the club to a comfortable position on the log by the end of the second stanza of the season.
The management and the technical crew have fortified the team with the signing of some quality players; they are forwards Uche Sabastine from PSports Academy and Orji Chisom from Sporting Lagos. Midfielders Ogar Sabastine and Samuel Tochukwu both from PSports Academy as well as defender Adamu Umar from Sunshine Stars while right-back Asuquo Etiene has been recalled to the team from his loan spell with Dakkada FC.
The two-time FA Cup winners have executed three mid-season friendly games; 5-0 thrashing of Immortality Academy was followed by a 3-0 win over NNL side Godswill Akpabio United FC before playing a 1-1 draw with NPFL outfit Abia Warriors as parts of preparations for the commencement of the second stanza of season.
Back to a familiar terrain, coach Boboye will be looking forward to making a positive start with the club and he will be expecting his players to be at their best especially strikers Chijioke Alaekwe and Friday Apollos (who have scored nine goals between them in the first round) to continue with their scoring form in the second stanza.
Akwa United lost 2-1 to Remo Stars in Ikenne in the first installment of this fixture on matchday 19 and they will be hoping to maintain their dominance over the visitors who are without a win in all their previous visits to Uyo.
The head-to-head record between the two teams shows that Akwa United has enjoyed a superior advantage having recorded six victories to Remo Stars three wins while one of those games ended in a 2-2 draw in Ijebu Ode back in 2017.
