Lobi Stars and Bayelsa United will play today in the Nigerian Premier League.
Lobi Stars have regained the top spot in the current season of the Nigerian Premier League for the first time in the last few weeks, amassing 46 points after 26 rounds. In the last five matches, the team has shown mixed results, suffering two losses, drawing once, and securing two victories, thus narrowing the gap to last season's champion Enyimba and competitors Remo Stars and Enugu to 1-3 points. Currently, Lobi Stars have 14 wins and 8 losses with a goal difference of 31:24. Notably, they won against top-4 contender Plateau in a recent match with a score of 1:0, as well as victories over teams from different parts of the table, Katsina and Rivers United.
Recent matches for Lobi Stars include a loss to Enugu on March 17th with a score of 2:1, a victory over Rivers United on March 13th with a result of 3:2. The match against Abia Warriors on March 10th ended in a 1:1 draw, adding a point to Lobi Stars' tally. On March 3rd, the team achieved a convincing win against Katsina United with a score of 2:0, affirming their status as one of the league's leaders. However, the defeat by Sunshine Stars on February 28th with a score of 0:2 reminded of their form's instability and the importance of each match in the championship battle.
Bayelsa United is on the brink of relegation in the current season of the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), occupying the 15th place with 30 points after 26 games. They are just two points ahead of the team in the relegation zone, Kwara. In the last five rounds, Bayelsa won twice and lost three times. The latest victory against Kano Pillars with a score of 2:1 allowed them to escape the relegation zone. However, two of the three losses were against direct competitors, and the defeat by Remo Stars wasn't surprising, given Remo's standing in the NPFL.
The team's recent matches started with a victory over Doma United on February 28th with a score of 2:0. This was followed by a loss to Remo Stars on March 2nd with a score of 0:1. On March 9th, Bayelsa United was defeated by Niger Tornadoes with a score of 0:1, and on March 13th by Kwara with a minimal score of 0:1. The concluding success came in the game against Kano Pillars on March 17th, where Bayelsa United managed to win with a score of 2:1.
The league leader has 3 wins and 2 losses in the last 5 direct encounters with Bayelsa, with 2 victories by a combined score of 5:0, traditionally won at home.
Lobi Stars have been inconsistent in recent matches and lost their lead over the chasers. At home, the team has only won by 2 or more goals once in the past 3 months, a 2:0 victory over Katsina on March 3rd; all other 13 consecutive encounters ended with minimal victories. I'm betting on Bayelsa's plus handicap.
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Remo Stars | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 18:10 | 29 | |
2 | Rivers United | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 15:8 | 29 | |
3 | Enugu Rangers | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 17:10 | 27 | |
4 | Ikorodu City | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 22:16 | 24 | |
5 | Shooting Stars | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 14:13 | 24 | |
6 | El Kanemi Warriors | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | -2 | 15:17 | 23 | |
7 | Kano Pillars | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 19:18 | 22 | |
8 | Enyimba | 13 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 14:9 | 21 | |
9 | Niger Tornadoes | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | -2 | 15:17 | 21 | |
10 | Bayelsa United | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | -2 | 13:15 | 21 | |
11 | Abia Warriors | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 14:18 | 21 | |
12 | Kwara United | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 15:13 | 20 | |
13 | Heartland | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 16:17 | 20 | |
14 | Katsina United | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | -2 | 12:14 | 19 | |
15 | Plateau United | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | -2 | 17:19 | 18 | |
16 | Nasarawa United | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 15:20 | 18 | |
17 | Sunshine Stars | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | -6 | 10:16 | 17 | |
18 | Bendel Insurance | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | -4 | 15:19 | 16 | |
19 | Akwa United | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -5 | 12:17 | 16 | |
20 | Lobi Stars | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -8 | 15:23 | 16 | |
21 | Beyond Limits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 | |
1 | Remo Stars | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12:1 | 22 | |
2 | Shooting Stars | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11:2 | 20 | |
3 | Rivers United | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12:4 | 19 | |
4 | Enugu Rangers | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14:6 | 19 | |
5 | Plateau United | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14:5 | 19 | |
6 | Ikorodu City | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18:7 | 18 | |
7 | Katsina United | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11:4 | 17 | |
8 | El Kanemi Warriors | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7:3 | 16 | |
9 | Bayelsa United | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11:5 | 16 | |
10 | Abia Warriors | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11:7 | 16 | |
11 | Enyimba | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9:3 | 15 | |
12 | Heartland | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9:6 | 15 | |
13 | Akwa United | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 9:5 | 15 | |
14 | Lobi Stars | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11:7 | 15 | |
15 | Kano Pillars | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11:6 | 14 | |
16 | Kwara United | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9:3 | 14 | |
17 | Nasarawa United | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11:7 | 14 | |
18 | Sunshine Stars | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8:4 | 14 | |
19 | Bendel Insurance | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10:5 | 14 | |
20 | Niger Tornadoes | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7:4 | 13 | |
21 | Beyond Limits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 | |
1 | Rivers United | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3:4 | 10 | |
2 | Enugu Rangers | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3:4 | 8 | |
3 | Kano Pillars | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8:12 | 8 | |
4 | Niger Tornadoes | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8:13 | 8 | |
5 | Remo Stars | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6:9 | 7 | |
6 | El Kanemi Warriors | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8:14 | 7 | |
7 | Ikorodu City | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4:9 | 6 | |
8 | Enyimba | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5:6 | 6 | |
9 | Kwara United | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6:10 | 6 | |
10 | Bayelsa United | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2:10 | 5 | |
11 | Abia Warriors | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3:11 | 5 | |
12 | Heartland | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7:11 | 5 | |
13 | Bendel Insurance | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8:14 | 5 | |
14 | Shooting Stars | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3:11 | 4 | |
15 | Nasarawa United | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4:13 | 4 | |
16 | Sunshine Stars | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2:12 | 3 | |
17 | Katsina United | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1:10 | 2 | |
18 | Plateau United | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6:14 | 2 | |
19 | Akwa United | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3:12 | 1 | |
20 | Lobi Stars | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 4:16 | 1 | |
21 | Beyond Limits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
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