Enyimba International will be without three of their influential players when the nine-time champions face El-Kanemi Warriors in Sunday’s 2024/2025 NPFL matchday-8 tie at El-Kanemi Stadium Maiduguri, Completesports.com reports.
The People’s Elephant arrived in Maiduguri on Saturday morning and settled down for the big showdown at the El-Kanemi Warriors Stadium in the heart of the North-East Nigerian state capital.
Enyimba are currently in third position in the NPFL table with 14 points from seven games, behind leaders Rivers United (17 points) and second-placed Remo Stars (15 points). El-Kanemi Warriors who have a game in hand sit in 13th position with eight points from six matches.
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However, Coach Yemi Olanrewaju will not have the trio of defender Gabriel Innocent, Imo Obot, and Akani Elijah available for selection.
Checks by Completesports.com at the club reveal that Gabriel Innocent has yet to recover from a groin injury he sustained 15 minutes into the gritty clash against Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) in Ibadan.
Similarly, Obot Imo, who picked up a knock in the game against 3SC, was said to have aggravated it in the match against Katsina United. As a result, Coach Olanrewaju excluded him from the travelling party to Maiduguri.
Akani Elijah, an attacking midfielder, is also unavailable. Completesports.com contacted Coach Olanrewaju early on Saturday morning regarding the absence of the trio, but he mentioned they were on the road to Maiduguri and would call back later when they settled down at their destination. However, he never did, and subsequent calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
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A member of the team’s media crew, Samson Orji, who accompanied the team to Maiduguri, confirmed the absence of the players from Sunday’s match.
Enyimba played out a 1-1 draw with Niger Tornadoes in Aba on Wednesday’s matchday 7, while El-Kanemi Warriors settled for a scoreless draw against Heartland in their matchday 6 home fixture.
By Sab Osuji
