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By: Abiodun Adewale.
With the trophy and a place on the continent up for grabs in the Federation Cup, Ijebu-Ode and Lagos are the centres of attraction as the semi-final battles go down between familiar foes on Thursday (today).
Plateau United vs Enugu Rangers
Having both missed out of the Super 6 playoffs in the Nigeria professional Football League, Enugu Rangers and Plateau United have turned their attention to the Federation Cup as their only chance of picking up a continental ticket this season.
Both teams will clash in one of the semi-finals in Ijebu Ode today, with the winners one game away from glory against either Bendel Insurance or Warri Wolves, who will faceoff in the other semi-final tie in Lagos.
Despite being the highest scoring side in the NPFL regular season, Plateau finished in a disappointing fifth place in Group A with 23 points and were also docked three points and three goals after violence rocked their run-in against Remo Stars in Jos.
Their coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu, expects an explosive encounter against the 2018 winners.
“We have had a tough season, as we missed out by a slim chance for a place in the NPFL Super 6. The Federation Cup is a good chance for the us to redeem ourselves and make our fans smile again.
“I expect a tough battle from Rangers, as they have won it six times, while Plateau United have won it just once, so pundits will rate us the underdogs. Having come this far shows the quality in both teams, but not playing against each other in the NPFL due to the abridged format of the season, might be a key factor in the game.”
On his part, Enugu Rangers coach, Abdul Maikaba, will be guiding the Flying Antelopes against his former side. He also sees the Federation Cup as a chance to redeem the club’s image after a disappointing season in the NPFL.
“I am not under any pressure to win the Federation Cup but I will be very happy if I happen to win it after passing through a very difficult season and escaping relegation by a whisker. Winning the Federation Cup will be like a compensation for the Enugu State Government and Rangers family in general,” Maikaba told our correspondent.
Bendel Insurance vs Warri Wolves
Both from the South-South region of the country, Bendel Insurance’s clash against Warri Wolves serves up a fierce Bendel Derby regardless of the leagues in which the respective clubs play in and the stark contrast in their performances so far this season.
For a club that is struggling to regain their identity and frantically reassembled its players at the start of the season, Warri Wolves have come a long way in this year’s competition. Their run has been characterised by spirited displays, which saw them overcome three NPFL sides on the way to the semi-finals, where they now have what seems to be their toughest test.
The Seasiders beat 3SC 5-3 on penalties in the round of 32, before beating Gombe United 1-0 and Lobi Stars 2-1 in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively. The clash against Insurance, however, has a different complexion, with the Benin Arsenal unbeaten in 22 games across all competitions this season.
Having missed out on promotion in the NNL, Wolves are optimistic about the prospects of playing on the continent next season.
“We are preparing to play Insurance like any other team, although we respect them for their achievements this season, I think we will stop their unbeaten run. The motivation that we must achieve something this season is there and as we have lost out of promotion in the league, we are putting all our attention on the Federation Cup,” Wolves coach, Jolomi Atune, told our correspondent.
“Getting to this stage makes us see possibilities, so we are confident, we are hungry to make history and we love to be underrated at the moment,” captain Olisema Ekene said.
Aside from being unbeaten this season, Insurance are on course for a historic domestic double and victory against Warri Wolves will see them one step away from that as they also fancy their chances of continuing their impressive run in the Super 6, which begins Saturday.
Despite being favourites to win the encounter, Insurance are wary of their opponents’ threats.
“We keep chasing the goal relentlessly, we keep safeguarding every identified loophole and we hope things will end as we want,” midfielder Divine Nwachukwu said.
Both semi-final matches kick off at 4pm today.