Matchday twenty-six of the NPFL will be upon us this midweek with the promise of more pulsating action across various centers.
Dakkada will write the next chapter of their already intriguing NPFL story when they visit Akure in search of the first victory over Sunshine Stars who are currently enmeshed in a brutal, multifaceted battle for survival.
Dakkada were a shadow of themselves when they succumbed to a shocking 1-0 home loss to Lobi Stars last Sunday. They will be hoping not to get sidetracked by that strange result as they seek their pound of flesh over Sunshine Stars whose only away win of the campaign thus far came in Uyo on January 21 over Dakkada.
Leading scorer with nine, Sadeeq Yusuf, scored twice on that fateful day to gift Sunshine a 2-1 away win and thrust them into the top three of the standings after matchday six before their season began collapsing like a pack of cards.
Recent poor results have skyrocketed the stakes in this contest for both Dakkada and Sunshine Stars who are now looking over their shoulders as regards their future participation in the NPFL. Dakkada are seven points and five places above the drop zone while Sunshine Stars are three places into it and six points from safety. It is undoubtedly a winner-takes-all fixture.
Head Coach, Umar Danlami, will demand nothing short of an immediate riposte from last Sunday’s disquieting performance and it is in matches like this that the Dakkada charges seem to stand up to be counted.
Since a 3-1 home win over Rangers on January 31, Sunshine Stars have not only gone all of eighteen matches without a win (8 draws, 10 losses) but they have also only scored seven goals in that period, an average of a little over one goal per three-match cycle.
In actual fact, Sunshine Stars had picked up more points in their first seven matches of the season (13) than they have in the totality of their last eighteen (8).
But the Akure Gunners have begun showing signs of bouncing back to winning ways and can now only be underrated at anyone’s peril. A dearth of goals in recent times seems to be the bane of what has now become a grim campaign but having racked up a goal in each of their last two outings, normal service seems to have been resumed where goalscoring is concerned.
Former Dakkada striker who is now donning the colors of Sunshine Stars, Ojukwu Ifegwu, will be reuniting with a host of his former colleagues when events get underway in Akure tomorrow.
The kick-off is at four o’clock in the afternoon while live text updates and video highlights are available on all social media handles of Dakkada football Club.
KEY STATS
• Sunshine Stars’ sixteen goals have been scored by six players with Sadeeq Yusuf Ahmat the leading scorer with nine.
• Dakkada’s twenty-five goals have been scored by eleven players with Isaac George the leading scorer with five.
• Faud Ekeleojuoti who already has three goals this term was the solitary goal scorer for Sunshine Stars when these two sides last met in Akure last season.
• If selected the trio of goalkeeper Thomas Omokhudu, Isaac George and Arinze Obuka will be the only surviving members of the Dakkada squad which started against Sunshine Stars in Akure in 2019 while Ojukwu Ifegwu who also started for Dakkada could be doing so for Sunshine Stars.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
NPFL 2020/2021
Dakkada 1-2 Sunshine Stars (24/01/2021)
NPFL 2019/2020
Sunshine Stars 1-1 Dakkada (29/12/2019)
LATEST RESULTS
Warri Wolves 2-1 Sunshine Stars
Dakkada 0-1 Lobi Stars
Lobi Stars 2-1 Sunshine Stars
MFM 1-0 Dakkada
Sunshine Stars 0-0 MFM
Dakkada 2-1 FCIU
FCIU 1-0 Sunshine Stars
Jigawa GS 1-1 Dakkada
Sunshine Stars 0-0 Jigawa GS
Dakkada 0-2 Akwa United
NEXT FIVE FIXTURES
Rangers Vs Sunshine Stars
Warri Wolves Vs Dakkada
Sunshine Stars Vs Abia Warriors
Dakkada Vs Rangers
Kwara United Vs Sunshine Stars
Abia Warriors Vs Dakkada
Sunshine Stars Vs Wikki Tourists
Dakkada Vs Kwara United
Heartland Vs Sunshine Stars
Wikki Tourists Vs Dakkada
