After a lengthy break due to the 34th Africa Cup of Nations and the Super Eagles soar in the competition, the NPFL24 season will return to action this weekend.
The mid-season break saw the completion of all outstanding matches involving majorly Rivers United and a well-aligned table for the season. This, in turn, makes the second half of the season tantalizing as teams now know their fate and how they turn them at the end of the season.
So, let’s look at the battles the second half of the season will offer us.
NPFL24: Title Challengers
Mathematically, the top 8 – Remo Stars, Lobi Stars, Doma United, Enyimba, Kano Pillars, Rangers, Plateau United, and Bendel Insurance are all title contenders this season, making it an 8-way title.
The reason is that the difference between the top of the table and the 8th position is just 8 points. With 19 games to be played, this gives every team in and around that position the sense of “we can still win the title.”
Ahead of #NPFL24 2nd round pic.twitter.com/pU1azrxAm4
— NPFL (@NigeriaPFL) February 15, 2024
But based on form and performance from the first stanza, only the top 5 are in a title challenge. Doma United went on a streak of 9 consecutive clean sheets before conceding a goal. Enyimba (3), Remo Stars, and Lobi Stars (2) have the highest away wins for the season.
These are the numbers that will define the tiniest of margins when the title battle becomes thick.
On home soil, Remo Stars, Kano Pillars, and Lobi Stars are the top three teams with unbeaten runs at home. The trio are joined by Plateau United, Bendel Insurance, Doma United, Rangers, and Abia Warriors in the top half with good home records.
However, only Plateau United (9) are yet to drop any points at home from 9 games.
NPFL24: Relegation battle
While the title challengers are at it, some other teams are battling to remain an NPFL club for next season. Mere looking, Heartland, Bayelsa United, Gombe United, and Niger Tornadoes are the most likely teams to be relegated.
But with a calculator, any team in the bottom half of the table is a relegation candidate. Teams like Shooting Stars, Abia Warriors – 9 points, Rivers United – 7 points are closer to the bottom than the top.
Akwa United, 2021 champions, are swimming in relegation waters, and with current predicaments, it doesn’t look like an easy ride for them to survive.
The battle of the bottom is as interesting as the one of the top, but at the end of the season, we might have some shockers in this battle.
Soldier come, soldier go, barrack remain
While the 20 teams are battling for supremacy and survival at different ends of the table, many players have left the NPFL during the mid-season transfer.
Most notable will be goal lord and Bayelsa United striker Robert Mizo bid his goodbye to the league after netting 10 goals – the second-highest in the league this season. The goal poacher joined a club in Libya.
Another in-form striker, Kareem Ayinde, with seven goals left Shooting Stars for Egypt. While a lot has moved out of the country, many players have also moved within NPFL clubs as they seek to boost their squads with more qualities.
However, the transfer season is over, so clubs can now focus on the remaining 19 games of the season.
NPFL24: Stars to watch
From the first stanza, we already have the stars that shone the brightest. The Likes of Doma United’s Osayi Kingdom and Nelson Abiam, Remo Stars’ Sikiru Alimi, Stanley Joseph, and Ahmed Akinyele, Plateau United’s Albert Hilary, Rangers’ Kazeem Ogunleye are but a few that topped the list of stars in the first half.
They are the players to watch out for as the season concludes. A few other youngsters – Enyimba’s Daniel Daga and Chibueze Izuogu have also been invited to the U20 Flying Eagles squad for the All-African game in Accra, Ghana, next month.
So, the whistle is about to sound again. Goals, cards, tacklers, derbies, but who will emerge as the King of NPFL 2024?