2024/2025 NPFL Match Day 32: Battle in relegation waters as Lobi Stars host Sunshine Stars

Posted : 05 April 2025

It will be a battle in the relegation murky waters of the 2024/2025 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) as the two basement clubs engage in a face-off. The 20th-placed Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi will trade tackles with the 19th-placed Sunshine Stars FC of Akure at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, popularly known as the Cathedral.

The relegation-bound Alia Boys sit in 20th position with 23 points from 30 matches, having recorded just five wins, eight draws, and an astonishing 17 losses.

In response to the poor run of form by Lobi Stars, the management has changed its technical crew three times, starting with Eugene Agagbe, who was then replaced by Daniel Amokachi, and most recently by former MFM FC and Katsina United FC coach, Tony Bolus.

Perhaps the greatest undoing of the club is its inability to play home matches at their traditional ground, Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi. Instead, they have moved across three stadia during the 2024/2025 NPFL campaign.

The Alia Boys started the season at Lafia Township Stadium, later moved to the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi, and most recently to Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu. This constant relocation could cause serious psychological effects on the players.

Just recently, it was also reported that some unidentified persons attacked the team at the training ground.

The management of the team has distanced itself from the attack, as some quarters allege that it was a sponsored attack from the management. Instead, the management of Lobi Stars accused the players of match-fixing.

As the imbroglio continues, it remains to be seen what will become of the match against visiting Sunshine Stars FC, who might want to capitalize on the crisis within the team to snatch a win in Enugu.

For Sunshine Stars, the battle against relegation continues, with management hopeful that there could still be a way out for the team.

Owena Whales’ coach, Abubakar Bala, remains confident that the Akure-based side will not be relegated in the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League, following their resurgence in the last two games.

The coach, who took over the reins of the club mid-season, is looking on the bright side with eight more games to go this season.

"We are working hard on our concentration and finishing. We scored four goals in our last home game. That way, we will earn more points both at home and away, and after two or three more games, we will be out of the red zone.”

Head-to-Head:

Reviewing from 2023, Lobi Stars and Sunshine Stars have competed in 5 matches, with Lobi Stars winning 1 and no draws:

Sunshine Stars 1-0 Lobi Stars (17.11.2024)

Sunshine Stars 2-0 Lobi Stars (28.02.2024)

Lobi Stars 3-2 Sunshine Stars (08.10.2023)

Sunshine Stars 3-1 Lobi Stars (11.06.2023)

Sunshine Stars 1-0 Lobi Stars (23.04.2023)

2024/2025 NPFL Match Day 32: Battle in relegation waters as Lobi Stars host Sunshine Stars

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