2024/2025 NPFL Match Day 6: Akwa United FC's Baba Ganaru confident of first win of the season

Posted : 12 October 2024

With just two points from his team's opening five matches of the season, the head coach of Akwa United, Mohammed Baba Ganaru, says he is confident his team will record its first win of the campaign when they take on Kano Pillars at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Sunday.

The Promise Keepers have suffered three straight defeats while managing two draws in their opening five matches of the season, and they are eager to hit the ground running on Sunday with a positive result that could prove vital to their ambitions in the 2024-25 Nigeria Premier Football League season.

Coach Baba Ganaru revealed that Sunday’s match would be the turning point for his team and assured that his players will not leave any stone unturned, as they are determined to approach the match with a winning mentality.

"We have only one thing to focus our attention on, and that is to ensure we translate our ball play into goals by making the best use of our chances during the match.

"We have properly assessed our previous matches and taken note of the mistakes we made.

"We have worked on those noticeable lapses, and we know what to do to avoid repeating those mistakes as we go into the next match.

"We understand that we are not where we would love to be in the league table after five rounds of matches, and our fans are not happy with the results so far.

"That is why we are determined to hit the ground running by putting in the extra energy that will give us the result we need.

"The league is very competitive, and we are aware that no two matches are the same; every opponent will always come up with game plans.

"Kano Pillars is a team with a tough mentality, but we have our game plan, and my players are ready and committed to sticking to our plan. I am confident that they will deliver on Sunday as we hope to record our first win of the season."

Coach Baba Ganaru believes that fan support will encourage and motivate his team, and he calls on the fans to turn out en masse and cheer the 2021 champions to victory.

Head-to-head

Both teams have met 24 times in the league between 2012 and 2024, with Akwa United enjoying 10 victories to Kano Pillars' nine wins, while five of those games ended in draws.

The Promise Keepers have won nine of their ten previous home matches against Kano Pillars, while the visitors managed just one win in their last ten visits to Uyo, which was a 0-1 win back in 2012.

Meanwhile, there is good news for Akwa United ahead of Sunday’s match, as striker Chijioke Alaekwe has returned to full fitness and was part of the team’s training programs throughout the week, making him likely to be part of the matchday squad.

The striker was in action for the Promise Keepers in the opening two games before he was sidelined by injury.

2024/2025 NPFL Match Day 6: Akwa United FC's Baba Ganaru confident of first win of the season

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