2023/24 NPFL season ends today as Gusau present trophy to Enugu Rangers in Jos

The 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League season will come to an end today with two key matches in Ibadan and Benin taking the spotlight.

Shooting Stars will face Sporting Lagos in Ibadan, while Benin will host a derby clash between Bendel Insurance and Bayelsa United at the same time.

Sporting Lagos and Bayelsa United are both in a fight to avoid relegation. Sporting Lagos is currently in 17th place with 46 points, the last relegation spot, while Bayelsa United sits in 15th place with 47 points.

Shooting Stars are looking to secure a continental spot with a strong finish at home, while Sporting Lagos is battling to avoid relegation. The last face-off in Lagos was a close battle that ended 2-2 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan.

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But today’s match holds even greater importance for both teams. Sporting Lagos may find it challenging to replicate their previous performance against the ‘Oluyole Warriors’, who are fighting for a crucial prize and hoping for favourable outcomes in Aba.

Sporting Lagos’ best outcome would be either a victory or a draw, while also relying on Bayelsa United’s loss in Benin. A win or even a draw will keep Sporting Lagos safe from relegation.

Shooting Stars are counting on Plateau United to at least draw against Enyimba in Aba, and they must secure all three points against Sporting Lagos to clinch a continental spot.

Enyimba is in need of a win to secure a third-place finish, while Plateau United, currently in fifth place with 58 points, requires a victory and a slip-up from Shooting Stars in Ibadan to secure a continental berth.

Meanwhile President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau will on Sunday, at the New Zaria Road Stadium, Jos, present the Nigeria Premier Football League winner’s trophy to champions-elect Rangers International FC of Enugu.

The NFF supremo headlines a choice list of eminent guests expected at the occasion, which will see the champions, who made sure of their eighth Nigeria title when they defeated Bendel Insurance 2-0 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium last weekend, take on relegated Gombe United FC in a game of contrasting emotions.

The much-loved Savannah Scorpions are already contemplating life in the lower cadre – Nigeria National League – while the Flying Antelopes, 1977 Africa Cup Winners’ Cup champions, countenance flying Nigeria’s flag in the prestigious CAF Champions League competition for the first time in many years.

The champions have already announced they will fly the squad, alongside the trophy, back to Enugu from Jos aboard a chartered aircraft after the game, which is expected to be attended by Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang.