Ahead of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League kick off on Saturday, August 31,2024,Bendel Insurance Football Club are in Ikkene, Ogun state to take on Beyond Limits FC in their final phase of their preparations for the new football season, reports Sports 247.
The preseason friendly is scheduled to hold at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, Ogun State. Kick off time is 9:00 am.
The Grade B match with the Junior Remo Stars is the second preseason friendly the Benin Arsenals are playing after their remarkable achievement in the Governor Diri Douye Preseason Football Tournament which ended earlier this month in Bayrlsa state.
Insurance picked the silver cup after 7-6 dramatic penalty shootouts loss to the host club Bayelsa Utd.
The game had ended 1-1 at 90 minutes regulation time with Meyinwa Oritseweyimi netting the equaliser for the Benin Arsenals in the 29th minutes of play.
The coach Monday Odigie managed Insurance FC were forced to a 1-1 draw by Cynosure Football Club of Ebonyi state on Thursday, August 22,2024 in Benin in their first friendly match after the Bayelsa tournament.
Insurance FC have Enyimba FC as their visitors in a Grade A Friendly match on Tuesday to finalize their preparation for the new season but fixture is likely to be cancelled due if the season begins as scheduled.
Meanwhile, the Head Coach and Technical Director of Bendel Insurance Football club of Benin Monday Odigie has confirmed the readiness of his team for the 2024’2025 football season.
He assured the management and fans of the Benin Arsenals that he has been able to assemble a team good enough to start the new football season and make them proud.
” We are going to still play one or two friendlies to keep the boys in better shape. If the league stats today, we are ready. We have a team already that can start for us. But we must continue to work hard until we get it right. “Odie enthused.
Coach Odigie has been busy reorganizing the 2023 FA Cup champions side after the exit of over ten first 11 and regular players of the team. Some of the key players that left at end of last season include the captain and best goalkeeper award winner Amas Obasogie;Sunday Anwanwu(CD);Ebuka Akobundu(RB, CD);Evans Ogbonda(Fwrd); Divine Nwanchukwu(MF);Sarki Ismael (Striker);. Others are Paul Obata(Fwrd);Meze Chukwudi(Striker);Osaghae Junior (Striker) and Chisom Okereke(Striker).
The Benin Arsenals, on their return from the Bayelsa Preseason tournament,went into close camping on Wednesday last week to enable continuous bonding and blending of the new players with the experienced ones ahead of the August 31 kick off date of the new season.
They are scheduled fo host Rivers Utd in their first match of the season on Saturday, September 7,2024 at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium.
