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It was a mid-week to remember in the Nigeria Professional Football League as a lot of water went under the bridge. The changes that took place across every area on the table made the midweek one to remember for some fans while others will hope that their teams bounce back from the disappointment they had on Wednesday.
This weekend also promises to bring a lot of thrilling matches to our views. With a lot of intriguing fixtures pitting some of the league giants against one another, the die is cast for a weekend of interesting games.
This piece will look at a fixture that will take us to the northern part of the country where we will see Kano Pillars locking horns with the red-hot Akwa United. The match promises to be one that will give us some of the best performance in the division.
That is because, Akwa United, despite having some of the best performances in recent weeks have probably recoiled into their shells and have been subjecting their fans to disappointing displays which saw them slip from 4th on the table to 6th. Their fans will definitely be hoping that this is the match where they rejuvenate their title push and get back on track.
Kano Pillars, on the other hand, have been having performances that leave much to be desired, gathering just 8 points from a possible 18 in their last 6 matches. They won only one of their last six matches - a paltry 1-0 home win against Ifeanyi Ubah. This has left them on the 13th spot on the league table.
Kano Pillars vs Akwa United Head to Head
This is a fixture that Akwa United fans should look forward to with a very optimistic mindset as the team has the upper hand in most of the recent matches that involved the two teams.
From their last three matches against each other, all of which were played last year, Kano Pillars have a paltry 2 points from a possible 9, while Akwa United have 5 points from the same number. The latter lost none of the last three, even besting their counterparts on one occasion, while the former won none, only sharing points on two occasions.
That is not all, from the last eight fixtures in which the two have flexed their muscles against each other, Akwa United came out on top on four occasions, while their opponents only managed to beat them twice, both of them sharing the points in the remaining two fixtures.
Kano Pillars vs Akwa United Team News
Kano Pillars
This is a fixture that the north-based team should look forward to with trepidation as they seem to only have the better hand on two occasions against their opponents. This is coupled with the fact that their most recent form does not seem to be very glistening, winning only one of their last six games.
Their last win in the league came from a hard-fought 1-0 win against Ifeanyi Ubah on their home turf five fixtures away. Their match will not be made any easier by the fact that their opponents are itching to get back to winning ways after failing to get all three points from their last two fixtures.
As it stands, they will be hoping to move to the 10th position if they manage to come out on top in their upcoming game. They could overtake Kwara United, Katsina United and Ifeanyi Ubah with all the three points. That will also depend on the results of the mentioned teams, though.
Akwa United
They seem to be the more favored side in this much-anticipated, tightly-contested fixture. They have been having the upper hand in most of the clashes that pits them against their weekend opponents.
Having won four of the last eight fixtures against Kano Pillars, they will be hoping to get one over the heads of their opponents once more. Furthermore, having lost 5 points from their last two matches and dropping from 4th on the table to 6th, they will be looking to put the voodoo behind them as soon as possible and get back to winning ways. This could be the match where they could do just that!
Akwa United will be looking to move back to within one point and two places to the summit of the league table if they can come away with a win from this match. They will be looking to leapfrog Akwa Starlets, Sunshine Stars and Plateau United on their way while casting one eye on the outcome of the matches the team aforementioned were involved in.
Kano Pillars vs Akwa United Predicted XI
Kano Pillars Predicted XI: Ayeleso S, Abdulahi M, Ali R, Denis V, Ewenike A, Janil M, Mallam A, Nasiru S, Nyima N, Seun Y, Sunday C.
Akwa United Predicted XI: Efala J, Akpan E, Chukwu M, Igudia G, Inyam I, Nya D, Obata P, Ocheme E, Otobong E, Philip D, Ubong F.
Kano Pillars vs Akwa United Prediction
As said earlier, this is a tightly contested game. While Akwa United's upper hand needs to be put into consideration, we can't afford to ignore the fact that the home teams always has some advantage. As such, they could end up sharing the spoils.
Prediction: Kano Pillars 1-1 Akwa United
