2024/2025 NPFL Match Day 35: Debutant Ikorodu City sets to rewrite history for continental slot at first attempt

Posted : 27 April 2025

When Ikorodu City FC kicked off their maiden season in the top flight, the target was survival. Stay up. That was it. But with four games to go, things have changed, as the team is now a strong contender for one of the available continental slots.

For the Oga Boys, it hasn’t always been straightforward, but recent form tells its own story with two wins and two draws from their last four matches.

Only last weekend, the Oga Boys were on the road, digging deep in Maiduguri to earn a point against El-Kanemi Warriors. It wasn’t pretty, but it mattered.

Now it’s another trip. Another tough one. The Nurudeen Aweroro-tutored team heads to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium to face Akwa United.

For the team, it should be the same mindset: stay switched on, stay together, and go after the points like their lives depend on it.

During the first leg in Lagos, the Oga Boys ripped the Promise Keepers apart with a commanding 4–1 win at the Arena, having four different scorers: Tosin Oyedokun, Emmanuel Solomon, Abdulmalik Olatunji, and Ayomide Cole — a performance that the team bossed from the first whistle to the last.

Now it’s the turn of Akwa United to host. No doubt they’ll be thinking about payback. But if this season has shown anything, it’s that the Oga Boys don’t scare easily — they should be battle-ready.

It is, of course, a true clash of contrasts. Akwa United are battling for survival, while Ikorodu City are chasing continental dreams in their debut NPFL season.

The Uyo side must treat every game like a final now. But they face a ruthless Ikorodu attack — the Lagos-based side have scored a league-high 53 goals this season and are flying high near the top.

Even a win for Akwa won’t pull them out of the relegation zone yet, but it will be a step forward. For Ikorodu, three points will further their push for a top-three finish — an incredible achievement in their first season at this level.

In Ikorodu City FC's team news, Freedom Marvelous, Ganiyu Adio, and Toyeeb Ajeyigbe remain unavailable through injury and will sit this one out.

Akwa United Recent Form:

Kwara United 0–2 Akwa United

Akwa United 2–0 Niger Tornadoes

Nasarawa United 2–0 Akwa United

Akwa United 1–1 El-Kanemi Warriors

Plateau United 1–0 Akwa United

2024/2025 NPFL Match Day 35: Debutant Ikorodu City sets to rewrite history for continental slot at first attempt

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