Its match day 8 this weekend at the on – going NBG 2014, while some teams have qualified for the quarterfinals, others have this last chance to sneak into the NEXT round.
ECOBANK VS STANBIC-IBTC
In the last 3 years ECOBANK and Stanbic-IBTC have met once and that fixture took place in 2012 at the UNILAG sports complex. It was a quarter final fixture that saw Stanbic-IBTC emerging 2 – 1 winners. This sets the tone for this last group game tie where revenge may just be on the minds of ECOBANK.
With three points from 3 games, it is not yet uhuru for both sides. A draw may be enough to see them both through that is, if Heritage Bank fails to beat Skye Bank. The bigger beneficiary of a draw would be ECOBANK as it would see them through on superior goals difference. A loss for either side may also see them through, if Heritage Bank gets less than a win against Skye Bank.
STERLING VS STAN CHART
After Diamond Bank failed to get at least a point off UBA, Sterling Bank did the needful by frustrating Fidelity Bank. They secured a scoreless draw to pip Diamond Bank to the quarter final ticket. They now take the battle to Standard Chartered Bank in a quest to garner all 3 points and avoid playing Skye Bank in the quarter finals.
For Standard Chartered Bank, they know they can’t finish higher than 3rd, but they can finish in 4th place if they lose to Sterling Bank. While it is not impossible to lose to Sterling, the situation on ground highly favours Standard Chartered Bank who need just avoid defeat here to remain in 3rd. The prize for not finishing 4th; you don’t get to play the defending champions Skye Bank.
HERITAGE BANK VS SKYE BANK
After two losses all predicted that Heritage Bank were dead and buried. Even though they’re not out of the competition, they’re not out of the woods yet, but they can take confidence off the fact that they have their fate in their hands.
1 point from 3 games is not happy hunting. Add to that the daunting task of having to chase 3 points against the defending champions and you realize why naysayers think, it is the end of the road for them.
You can’t begrudge the shortage of confidence in Heritage’s ability to down Skye Bank. In the last 20 games Skye Bank has played, no one has managed that. The closest anybody has come to beating Skye Bank is a draw twice recorded by Fidelity Bank and once by First Bank.
It is not an impossible task, but while Heritage Bank go in search of the goals that has eluded them so far, how do they keep out the likes of Seun Mohammed, Ismaili Sani and Shola Akintayo, not to talk of Mustapha Abdulrasheed (If he plays)?
Fela is the Co-founder of MediaVision Limited .
