Today, in the Nigerian Premier League, "Enyimba" will face off against "Bayelsa United".
Last season's champions, Enyimba, continue to fight for medals with three games left to play, despite spending half the season outside the top-3. Currently, Enyimba is in 2nd place with 35 matches played, 18 victories, 5 draws, and 12 losses, a goal difference of 42:30, and 59 points earned. In the last five rounds, the team has secured three wins. However, their setback in the last match against leaders Enugu might cost them the championship. Enyimba lost away with a score of 0:3 and now trails Enugu by 5 points. Remo Stars also have 59 points, while Shooting Stars have 56, making the battle for medals extremely tense. Enyimba had shown excellent form until the recent defeat. Despite their success in the NPFL, the team sensationally lost 0:1 to Sokoto in their last Federation Cup match, missing two penalties. This defeat came as a surprise, but the team continues to perform confidently in the championship.
In their recent NPFL matches, Enyimba achieved a convincing victory over the outsider Rivers United with a score of 4:1 on 2 June and previously secured three consecutive 1:0 wins: on 26 May against Abia Warriors, on 22 May against One Rocket in the Cup, and on 28 April against Katsina United. Notably, the reigning champions boast the best defence in the league, conceding only 30 goals in 35 rounds. Additionally, Enyimba has been unbeaten at home for 12 rounds, claiming 10 victories and conceding only 2 goals.
Bayelsa United is actively fighting for survival and currently occupies 17th place with three games to go. The team has played 35 matches, securing 11 victories, 10 draws, and 14 losses, with a goal difference of 41:48 and 43 points earned. In the last five matches, Bayelsa United has two victories. Both Akwa and Sporting Lagos also have 43 points, making the battle to remain in the top flight very intense. Bayelsa United has not won away for 7 consecutive rounds, including the Federation Cup, losing 5 matches and scoring only twice.
Recently, the team was knocked out of the Federation Cup in the 1/8 finals, losing 0:1 to Katsina United but managed to secure 4 crucial points in the last two rounds against direct competitors. On 9 June, the match against Sporting Lagos ended in a 2:2 draw; on 2 June, the team won 3:2 against Plateau; on 26 May, they suffered a 0:3 defeat to Enugu; on 22 May, they lost 0:1 to Katsina United in the Federation Cup; and on 30 April, they secured a 2:1 victory over Rivers United.
Enyimba has a clear advantage in the last 5 head-to-head meetings, with 3 wins and 1 draw. On 28 December 2023, Enyimba won 2:1, with the other matches dating back to 2015.
This is a crucial match for both teams, but Enyimba is far superior and unbeaten at home, unlike the poorly performing away team Bayelsa. I expect a confident victory for the champions, with a handicap of (-1.5).
# | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | G | PTS | |
1 | Rivers United | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 12:3 | 21 | |
2 | Remo Stars | 9 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12:6 | 18 | |
3 | Enyimba | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 12:7 | 17 | |
4 | Plateau United | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 13:10 | 14 | |
5 | Abia Warriors | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8:8 | 14 | |
6 | El Kanemi Warriors | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 12:10 | 13 | |
7 | Sunshine Stars | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 7:10 | 13 | |
8 | Nasarawa United | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10:10 | 12 | |
9 | Enugu Rangers | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8:8 | 12 | |
10 | Katsina United | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7:7 | 12 | |
11 | Shooting Stars | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | -1 | 6:7 | 12 | |
12 | Kwara United | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9:7 | 11 | |
13 | Kano Pillars | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 11:12 | 11 | |
14 | Niger Tornadoes | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | -1 | 8:9 | 11 | |
15 | Bendel Insurance | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 7:9 | 9 | |
16 | Heartland | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -3 | 6:9 | 9 | |
17 | Lobi Stars | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -5 | 9:14 | 9 | |
18 | Bayelsa United | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -6 | 5:11 | 9 | |
19 | Ikorodu City | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -2 | 10:12 | 8 | |
20 | Akwa United | 9 | 1 | 3 | 5 | -3 | 6:9 | 6 | |
21 | Beyond Limits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 | |
1 | Rivers United | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10:3 | 13 | |
2 | Enyimba | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9:3 | 13 | |
3 | Remo Stars | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7:1 | 12 | |
4 | Plateau United | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9:3 | 12 | |
5 | Katsina United | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7:2 | 11 | |
6 | Shooting Stars | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5:2 | 11 | |
7 | Sunshine Stars | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5:0 | 10 | |
8 | Abia Warriors | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6:3 | 9 | |
9 | Nasarawa United | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8:5 | 8 | |
10 | Kwara United | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6:3 | 8 | |
11 | Bendel Insurance | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5:2 | 8 | |
12 | Heartland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5:4 | 8 | |
13 | Lobi Stars | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5:4 | 8 | |
14 | Bayelsa United | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 8 | |
15 | Enugu Rangers | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5:4 | 7 | |
16 | Kano Pillars | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6:3 | 7 | |
17 | El Kanemi Warriors | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4:3 | 6 | |
18 | Ikorodu City | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8:5 | 6 | |
19 | Akwa United | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4:3 | 5 | |
20 | Niger Tornadoes | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2:3 | 3 | |
21 | Beyond Limits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 | |
1 | Rivers United | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2:0 | 8 | |
2 | Niger Tornadoes | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6:6 | 8 | |
3 | El Kanemi Warriors | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8:7 | 7 | |
4 | Remo Stars | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5:5 | 6 | |
5 | Abia Warriors | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2:5 | 5 | |
6 | Enugu Rangers | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3:4 | 5 | |
7 | Enyimba | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3:4 | 4 | |
8 | Nasarawa United | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2:5 | 4 | |
9 | Kano Pillars | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5:9 | 4 | |
10 | Sunshine Stars | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2:10 | 3 | |
11 | Kwara United | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3:4 | 3 | |
12 | Plateau United | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4:7 | 2 | |
13 | Ikorodu City | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2:7 | 2 | |
14 | Katsina United | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0:5 | 1 | |
15 | Shooting Stars | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1:5 | 1 | |
16 | Bendel Insurance | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2:7 | 1 | |
17 | Heartland | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1:5 | 1 | |
18 | Lobi Stars | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4:10 | 1 | |
19 | Bayelsa United | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1:9 | 1 | |
20 | Akwa United | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2:6 | 1 | |
21 | Beyond Limits | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0:0 | 0 |
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