VENUE : Aba Township Stadium, Aba

 

 

ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN

 

 Old Foes Enyimba, Heartland Rekindle Rivalry In Oriental Derby

 

Enyimba and Heartland will go to battle in Aba on Wednesday in what is the last oriental derby of the 2011/2012 NPL season.

The Peoples Elephants’ thrashed Rangers International of Enugu 2-0 in the last clash between the Eastern teams in May.

This time around, Austine Eguavoen’s men will seek to not only maintain their push for a record seventh Nigeria Premier  League title, but maintain their superiority  over a Heartland side they defeated  3-2 in March. 

 

Their title ambition was  dealt a major blow on Tuesday after they were beaten 3-1 by Gombe United 3-1 in a rescheduled game at the Pantami Stadium.

And if anything, the two-time African Champions  must imprpove on that shambolic display or else they may be  run over by a Heartland side who still harbor hopes of securing a continental ticket.

 

Eguavoen will hope his forwards rise up to the occasion this time, after their recent struggles.New Boys Razak Adegbite and Chinonso Amafor have showed promise and proven they can be relied upon, by scoring vital goals in recent games.

Experienced hitman, Uche Kalu is once again available after his recent absence due to his involvement with the Super Eagles while Gbolahan Salami will also be eager to get involved in the action.

 

Enyimba next face Lobi Stars and Akwa United on the road, which makes it essential for them to win this game.

Rivalry apart, this should be a easy assignment for the Aba Boys as Heartland’s  away record does not portend any danger for them.

The Naze Millionaires though have drawn eight of their 13 matches on the road, they have lost the other five and currently do not look like a side capable of halting Enyimba’s title hopes.

 

 

RECENT HEAD-TO-HEAD

2011 DOLPHINS 1-1 WOLVES

2010 DOLPHINS 1-0 WOLVES

KEY STAT : Enyimba have conceded only five  times at home this season while Heartland have scored only six times on the road.

EXPERT VERDICT : With two  wins in three Oriental derbies already this season,Enyimba are the favourites to win this tie.