After suffering a setback in the match day 17 fixture against long-time rivals, Bendel Insurance F.C in Benin-City, the ‘Flying Antelopes’, Rangers International F.C of Enugu, will be ambushing the visiting ‘Savannah Scorpions’, Gombe United F.C in a re-arranged M.D 18 encounter scheduled for Saturday, January 13, 2024, inside the main-bowl of Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, ‘The Cathedral’.
Coach Fidelis Ilechukwu is optimistic going into this fixture against a side that is only two points behind his team and four spots below it on the twenty-team log.
After his last training session ahead of the fixture, the vastly experienced tactician said that with the commitment and determination displayed during the week-long sessions, he sees a team ready to get back to winning ways and bring back smiles on the faces of its teaming supporters.
“No doubt, we missed it in our last match in Benin but that is behind us now and we are looking and working towards getting a positive result against Gombe United. Yes, I understand that we are not where we rightly belong but with the determination that I see in the faces of my players, we are on the line towards making our supporters smile again. Gombe United is not a small side and we respect them as they have a great tactician in Mohammed Babaganaru but we have our eyes on the maximum points at stake,” stated coach Ilechukwu.
The home side, Rangers has secured six wins from sixteen fixtures already done with as four ended in a draw while recording six losses with their form in the last five matches reading; L, W, D, W, L while the vising Gombe side also has six wins, two draws and nine losses from the seventeen matches prosecuted with D, L, W, D, W was their form in the last five games.
Going into this fixture, Rangers will be missing the services of its midfield maestros, Kalu Nweke and Isaac Saviour who are still nursing injuries. Still, their absence would be ably filled by the likes of Kenechukwu Agu, Chinecherem Ugwueze, Chukwudi Nwaodu, and others who are coming back from injuries just as the likes of Kazeem Ogunleye, Godwin Obaje looks to increase their tally. In contrast, the visitors would miss the presence of their attacking sensation, Chijioke Alaekwe, who has taken his career to Asia but the presence of Ahmed Jimoh, Sadiq Shuaibu, Adama Kizito, David Nnaji, and others would try to break the solid backline of the ‘Flying Antelopes’.
In fourteen encounters between both sides, between 2010 and 2022, Rangers enjoys the bragging rights with six wins, four drawn matches and four losses with the 3-0 spanking handed the visitors on 29/04/2012 remaining the highest score line in their encounters as they ambush the ‘Savannah Scorpions’ for a seventh win before the crowd of spectators expected at ‘The Cathedral’ with kickoff fixed for 4:00 pm. Tickets for the encounter are selling fast online as an indigenous hospitality firm, Seniorbarman, has taken charge of match day ticketing.
NORBERT OKOLIE
M/O
