As the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League season edges closer to its finale, there remains an air of uncertainty around almost every end of the table and the battle lines are drawn across multiple fronts. From the frantic chase for continental qualification to the desperate fight against relegation, the league continues to offer suspense and unpredictability, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Remo Stars currently lead the table, having amassed 62 points from 33 matches, and they remain the strongest contenders for a maiden NPFL title. Their consistency, especially at home, has been the foundation of their campaign, with the Sky Blue Stars being one of three teams yet to lose a home game this season, boasting 15 wins and two draws in Ikenne.
That total of 47 home points is unmatched. However, their away form remains a worry, just like every other team in the league. They have picked up only 15 points from a possible 48 on the road and this disparity leaves them vulnerable, especially with Rivers United not far behind on 55 points and Finidi George’s men posing a slightly superior away record with a league-high 16 points on the road.
Remo’s lead has not come without scrutiny, especially after back-to-back draws against relegation strugglers, Lobi Stars and Katsina United that cost them four points. But head coach Daniel Ogunmodede remains unfazed by the pressure; his belief in his squad’s resilience and the long-term plan they are executing is evident in his measured reflection after that result.
“We are still on top of the table. We have fifteen more points to fight for,” he said. “This is football. It’s not draught. It’s not like other sports. Some days are like this. We are prepared. Personally, as a coach, I’m prepared and I know days like this will always come.”
Ogunmodede has always maintained that the title will not be won or lost in a single match. Rather, it will be determined by mentality and discipline across the stretch. “Are we still capable of winning the league? I think the answer is yes. Are we comfortable on the table? The answer is yes,” he asserted. Yet he knows that complacency is dangerous, and his focus is on extracting maximum points from the remaining fixtures and treating every opponent with the same seriousness.
That message will be tested once again in their next match against Shooting Stars in Ibadan. But Ogunmodede has no intention of deviating from the formula that brought them this far. “We approach every game with the same mentality to get the maximum three points. This is what is most important for us,” he said. He also had words for the critics, many of whom have questioned the team’s recent displays. “People underrate the performance of these boys. They should be commended. For them to have worked up to this time, they deserve more commendation than what people just think about them when things are not going well.”
Further south, Rivers United are facing their own pressures. After a strong unbeaten run, they capitulated in their title chase with a blip in form mid-season that saw them winning only one in eight games, and coach Finidi George is determined to correct the vulnerabilities they were exposed to.
“That goal from them opened the game up. I was not expecting that from that distance. It gave them calmness,” he reflected after losing 2-0 to Abia Warriors.
“In a game like this that is very tight, you let the opponent score a goal like that and it could give them that boost.”
“They controlled the game a little bit more. When you are playing at home and concede two goals, I think the match is over,” he conceded.
Nevertheless, the former Super Eagles gaffer is not panicking despite Rivers United being just two points above their closest challengers fighting for a continental spot as three of their last five matches are at home.
That detail, he believes, will prove decisive. “We are playing at home next, so we’re going to win at home,” he said confidently. “This is a critical time where you don’t take things for granted. We are playing against Sunshine. I know we are going to win.”
He knows that his side must keep their focus regardless of what results come in elsewhere. “Unless other teams go away and win, we just have to focus on our home game,” he noted, underlining the importance of maintaining control over what lies within their grasp.
The third and final continental slot, which guarantees a place in the CAF Confederation Cup, remains hotly contested. After defeating Rivers, Abia Warriors sit in third place with 53 points and are being closely pursued by this season’s surprise package, Ikorodu City on 52.
The Oga Boys, only just promoted, have scored 51 goals, the joint-highest ever by a newly promoted team in a single season. Their attack has been breathtaking at home where they’ve scored 42 goals in 17 matches, averaging nearly 2.5 goals per game. Yet their away form is what could deny them a historic top-three finish with just two away wins and 11 goals on the road, their vulnerability outside Lagos is stark but their firepower, led by an exciting group of young attackers, keeps them in the hunt.
