Traditional Nigeria Premier League rivals Bendel Insurance and Shooting Stars SC will be desperate to register their first points of the 2025/26 NPFL season when they face off on Saturday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.
Both teams suffered defeats in their season openers last week, Insurance fell 2-0 away to El Kanemi Warriors, while Shooting Stars lost 1-0 to Bayelsa United at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.
Saturday’s clash presents an opportunity for both sides to bounce back and restore confidence among their fans. However, Shooting Stars’ head coach, Nurudeen Aweroro, remains optimistic that his team can secure all three points in Benin, not just a draw.
“We’re going to face a serious challenge, but we are ready for it,” Aweroro said in his pre-match interview. “We lost at home, so we need to go out there, do the right things, and get our points back away from home.
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“We’ve always had a strong home record, but the dynamics of the league have changed. We know we have to work harder, and we’ve been doing that. Unfortunately, we couldn’t score in our last game, but we created chances. Now we just need to be more clinical.”
A defeat for either side would heap pressure on their respective coaches, especially Aweroro, who is looking to avoid back-to-back losses after a disappointing start to his tenure with the Oluyole Warriors.
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