Remo Stars have finished the year 2023 at the top of the Nigeria Premier Football League table, regardless of the result of their match-day 16 game against Heartland in Owerri on Thursday, as reported by PUNCH Sports Extra.
The NPFL, which is nearly at its mid-season point, is notable for being in full swing at this time of the year for the first time in over a decade, amid years of irregular start dates causing calendar disruptions.
Remo currently leads the table with 29 points from 15 matches.
While facing a struggling Heartland in Owerri, Remo’s capability to maintain their lead is being watched as Doma United and Lobi Stars are in close pursuit.
Doma suffered a 2-0 defeat against Sunshine Stars in Akure, leaving them one point behind, while Lobi Stars, placed third, are presently three points adrift of leaders Remo and are set to host Niger Tornadoes.
A draw or victory for Remo in Owerri will extend their lead by one or three more points. Even if they lose, a win for Lobi against Tornadoes will not be enough to displace Remo from the top spot, owing to their superior goal difference.
Besides leading in points, the Sky Blue Stars have also scored the most goals this season with 22, three more than Enugu Rangers and Bayelsa United, who have 19 each. The league’s joint top scorer, Sikiru Alimi, who has 10 goals in 13 appearances, is also part of their team.
Remo’s impressive performance this season stems from their second-placed finish last season, losing the title on goal difference to Enyimba in the Super 6, with both teams having nine points each during the playoffs, and Remo accumulating 33 points from 18 regular season games.
Emphasizing their title aspirations at the start of the current season, Remo Stars coach Daniel Ogunmodede stated, “I can tell you that we are fully ready for the NPFL season. Our target at the beginning of last season was to win the league, but we fell short in some ways. It has been a long-time project for us, we have been working consistently and we will surely be there someday.”
As the season approaches its midway point, Remo will face southwest rivals Sunshine Stars at home, play Katsina United away, and host Abia Warriors at home.
