NPFL Preview: Can Shooting Stars end their six game winless run?

After winning six straight games, home and away without conceding a goal between December 2024 and January 2025, Shooting Stars have won just one of their last eight games from February 2025.

The big question now is: Can the Oluyole Warriors stop their winless run when they face relegation candidate, Akwa United at the Godswill Akpabio international stadium this weekend?

Gbenga Ogunbote and his men have lost two and drawn four of their last six games, and have dropped from second to fourth on the NPFL log with 43 points from 28 games, 11 points off leaders, Remo Stars.

Against an Akwa United team that looks to start a positive run of results after picking four points out of their last two games, including drawing 1-1 at Rangers in Enugu last weekend.

That was preceded by a 1-0 defeat of Katsina United in Uyo.

The draw was their first points away from home since September last year when they drew 0-0 at Lobi Stars while the victory against Katsina United was their first in four games.

The Promise Keepers, as the Akwa Ibom team are known have achieved two positive back-to-back results for only the second time this season. The first was at the start of the season when they drew at Lobi and scored a 90th minute goal to force Abia Warriors to a 1-1 draw in Uyo.

Shooting Stars have lost two and drawn one of their last three away games and will need to be at their best to secure a positive result in Uyo.

At the Mobolaji Johnson Arena at Onikan in Lagos, Ikorodu City will be seeking to extract their pound of flesh from an inconsistent Enyimba who needed a 92nd minute goal by Moses Adiukwu to seal all three points in Aba last October after the visitors thought they had gotten a share of the points after their 90th minute goal by Toyeeb Ajeyigbe cancelled out Ifeanyi Anthony Ihemekwele’s sixth minute opener for the host at the Enyimba international stadium last October.

This weekend, Ikorodu City will be keen to make it 11 wins in their last 12 home games and will feel confident they can defeat an Enyimba team that has won only thrice on the road this season.

At the ‘Cathedral’ in Enugu, reigning champions, Rangers will looking for their fourth home win in their last five games. The Flying Antelopes drew 1-1 when they faced relegation threatened Akwa United the last time and Fidelis Ilechukwu knows that he and his men will be expected to return to winning ways at home.

They face a Kwara United side that have lost their last eight away games and have won just once on the road all season.

Former Super Eagles assistant coach, Salisu Yusuf will be seeking to extend his unbeaten run to five games when he takes his side to the Sani Abacha stadium where they will face Ahmed Musa’s Kano Pillars.

Yusuf has won one and drew three of the four games he has been in charge of his rescue mission and his efforts have seen the club move from the bottom three to 17th on the log and another positive result on Saturday could help them in their bid to avoid the drop.

Pillars on the other hand will be seeking for their fifth win at home in a row which can propel them to third on the log if other results go their way.

League leaders, Remo Stars could compound Emmanuel Amuneke’s misery and extend his winless run to five games when they host Heartland of Owerri at the Remo Stars in Ikenne this weekend.

Remo Stars have won their last eight home games and will be seeking to make it nine on the bounce with the Naze Millionaires who have not won on the road since last November when they defeated Abia warriors 2-0 in an Oriental derby in Umuahia.

A win for Remo Stars could see them go 11 points clear of second placed Rivers United and 13 clear of third placed Ikorodu City if they fail to beat El Kanemi Warriors and Enyimba respectively.

Abia Warriors who have dropped from their top four position to ninth after winning just one of their last five games will be seeking to return to winning ways when they host Bendel Insurance at the Umuahia Township Stadium in Umuahia.

They however face a resurgent Bendel Insurance side who have lost just once in their last six games, winning four and drawing just once.