Enyimba International FC midfielder, Elijah Akanni, says his team must defeat visiting Plateau United on Sunday to stand a chance of playing in the 2024/2025 CAF Champions League.
Akanni spoke with newsmen after the team’s morning training on Saturday, describing the game as a must-win for Enyimba.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Enyimba will host Plateau United on Sunday, inside the Enyimba International Stadium Aba, on match day 38 of the NPFL 2023–2024 season.
Akanni, who acknowledged that the match would be a tough one, said that the players would go all out to give their best and ensure a convincing victory.
He said, “The game is going to be an important one for us, and being the last match of the season, it is a must-win against Plateau United for us.
“We are going to give our best to win and get back to the top, where we belong, so that we can play next season’s Champions League.
“Our target before the season was to retain the title, but due to the turn of events along the line, we had a setback after the match day 36 against Bayelsa United, where we played out 1-1.
Akanni said that Champions League position was not a bad one for the team, and they were going to fight for it on Sunday in order not to lose out entirely.
“As a continental team, it will be beneficial to Enyimba, the state, and country if we still maintain our Champions League status.
“Enyimba has been a regular customer of Champions League and still needs to maintain its status at the global stage,” Akanni said.
NAN reports that Enyimba occupied third place on the league table with 60 points, while Remo Stars of Ogun State occupied second place with 62 points after the 37th week of matches.
Plateau United, in the same period, stood in fifth place with 58 points.
(NAN)