Eaglets To Watch Pillars Against Lobi Federation Cup Semi final Clash.

Training schedule of the Golden Eaglets was altered Tuesday by Head Coach Manu Garba (MFR) to give the players the rare opportunity of watching Wednesday’s Federation Cup semi-final match between Lobi Stars and Kano Pillars at the U.J Esuene Sports Stadium in Calabar.

The team would train at their traditional ground, St. Patrick College at Ikot Ansa in the morning before heading to the stadium for the evening’s clash between the two Nigerian Premier League sides.

Garba, who led El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri to successive wins at the 1991 and 1992 Challenge Cup which is now known as the Federation Cup, said the break is necessary for the players to relax as well as watching their local heroes on the domestic season.

“The Federation Cup is a big treat and a semi-final game cannot be bigger than a match between Kano Pillars and Lobi Stars and it is an opportunity for our young players to see this type of games,” explained Garba.

This is the second time the Golden Eaglets would be watching a high profile match at U.J Esuene Sports Stadium after they   rallied behind the Super Eagles in their defeat of Namibia in a 2013 Nations Cup qualifiers in June.

Incidentally, the players would be sharply divided for this Federation Cup semi-final with some of them born and bred in the ancient of Kano-the home of Pillars.

 “If you are born in Kano and interested in football, you must support Kano Pillars (Sai-Masugida)because that is the only club we have. 

Aside that, we have quality players like Gabriel Reuben, Rabiu Ali (Pele) and Gambo Mohammed who can destroy any team and me ‘m hopeful they would beat Lobi stars, “said Muazzam Ibrahim who has predicted a 2-0 win for his home team.

But Bernard Bulbwa, who hails from Benue State has other ideas, saying that Lobi  would shock  Kano Pillars with a possible  3-1 win.

“Lobi have more experienced players and this would count in their favour against Pillars,” Bulbwa, an attacking midfielder stated. “Lobi have players like Captain David Tyavkase and others that can wreck Pillars. I’ve watching Lobi Stars for a while and I ‘m so happy that I would be at the stadium to see them defeat Kano Pillars.’

As they say, the battle line has been drawn and all roads lead to U.J Esuene Sports Stadium for this top of the drawer clash between Pillars and Lobi on Wednesday.