In spite of their troubles, Ogene still believes his side can take the Cup route to land a continental spot at the end of the football season in Nigeria. With Nigeria’s four slots in CAF competitions restored, three teams will qualify to represent the country from the league while a fourth will emerge from the Cup winners.
The Port Harcourt-born defender who featured in each of Plateau United’s games in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup in 2018 says once they are successful with their bid to avoid relegation, they will turn focus on the AITEO Cup.
“One thing about the season is this unpredictable nature so we just want to fight it out and make sure we escape relegation by May 26. After then, we have hopes that we will do well in the AITEO Cup and we will do better in the Cup to get a Confederation Cup ticket.”
The Tin City side have an easy fixture on paper when they welcome already relegated Yobe Desert Stars to Jos for Match Day 21 on Monday. Ogene however insists they have to be careful against the North Easterners.
“That they have relegated doesn’t mean they cannot cause problems so we will be ready to do our jobs professionally and make sure we get the three points at stake,” he concluded.
NPFL MATCH DAY 21
TODAY @4pm
Group A
Rangers vs Rivers Utd
Lobi vs Wikki Tourists
Kwara Utd vs Remo
Enyimba vs Tornadoes
MFM FC vs Katsina Utd
Insurance vs Sunshine
Group B
Plateau Utd vs Yobe Stars
Nasarawa vs Go Round FC
K’Pillars vs Delta Force
Akwa Utd vs A’Warriors
Elkanemi vs IfeanyiUbah
Gombe Utd vs Heartland