Heartland - Shooting Stars SC predictions and free betting tips [19/04/2024]

Heartland and Shooting Stars will play today in the Nigerian Football Premier League.

Heartland

Heartland continues to struggle in the current season of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), occupying the penultimate place in the standings. The team's situation worsened after a series of defeats—four out of the last five matches ended in losses for the club, leading to a total of 26 points after 30 rounds. The only improvement in position is related to administrative sanctions against other clubs, specifically the deduction of points from Gombe.

Heartland manages to achieve success only on their home field, where the team has won all five matches since December. Among recent achievements are victories over Sporting Lagos (3:1), Abia Warriors (2:0), and a notable success against Remo Stars (3:1), which set a record for the most goals conceded by Remo this season.

However, despite these bursts of successful play, in recent matches, Heartland has suffered defeats against Enyimba, Baelsa, and Rivers United, each time losing 0:1. Additionally, the team lost to Enugu by one goal (1:2), played draws with Katsina United and Sunshine Stars (both matches 1:1), and suffered a heavy defeat against Plateau (1:5). These results highlight Hartland's problems in maintaining their status in the top division, leaving the team in a high-risk zone for relegation from the league.

Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars stands out with its stable form in the current season of the Nigerian Professional Football League. With four victories in the last five matches, the team is one of the league's top performers, which has allowed them to rise to fifth place in the standings with a total of 49 points after 30 games. Despite two losses in the last 13 matches, the team has demonstrated high competitiveness, winning seven encounters, including the last game against the former NPFL leader Remo Stars with a score of 2:1.

Especially impressive are Shooting Stars' away victories over teams such as Kano Pillars and Home United, which highlight their ability to overcome difficulties on foreign fields. In the last six matches, Shooting Stars have secured five victories, including confident wins over Kano Pillars (2:1), Kwara (2:0), Remo Stars (2:0), and Aqua (3:0). A draw with Gombe and the subsequent victory over Home United have affirmed the team's defensive stability.

These results confirm Shooting Stars' potential as a contender for a top-5 championship spot, allowing them to close the gap with the leading teams. Currently, they are only two points behind second-placed Enyimba and five points from league leader Enugu.

Head-to-Head

In the last 5 head-to-head encounters between Shooting Stars and Heartland, the results have been equal, with two victories each. In the most recent match on December 3, 2023, the teams drew 0:0. On May 28, 2022, Heartland won with a score of 3:1. The encounter on February 2, 2022, ended with a large victory for Shooting Stars, 4:0. On August 21, 2016, Heartland also won with a score of 1:0, and in April of the same year, Shooting Stars won 2:1.

Match prediction Heartland - Shooting Stars

The opponents are currently at opposite ends in terms of gameplay level, with Shooting for the first time rising to the top-5 and showing the best results among all NPFL teams, while Hartland has long been in the relegation zone. I bet on the visitors with a handicap (0).