Former champions Bendel Insurance and Rangers International will face off in a high-profile round of 16 match of this year’s President Federation Cup at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos on Wednesday (today), reports.
With 10 titles between them, Insurance (four) and Rangers (six), two of the most successful teams in Nigeria, headline the battles for the last four places in the country’s oldest competition, facing off at the same venue that hosted two finals involving them.
Rangers and Insurance have history as far as the FA Cup is concerned, having met three times with two of those fixtures decided at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos.
Both teams first met in the 1978 final when Bendel Insurance stunned the nation by thumping the Flying Antelopes 3-0 before Rangers avenged their defeat with a 2-0 victory over the Benin side in the 1981 final.
They are also meeting in a repeat of the 2023 final, which the Benin side won 1-0 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State, thanks to a first-half penalty by Osarenkhoe Imade.
Ahead of today’s battle, Rangers International coach Fidelis Ilechukwu is optimistic that his team can put an end to their recent dip in form in the Nigeria Premier Football, but they would have to find a way past the free-scoring Bendel Insurance.
With just three wins in their last 10 NPFL games, the reigning league champions have seen a slump in their fortunes, dropping to the eighth position on the log with five games to go.
“I believe we have what it takes to go past our opponents who I must confess are in their best form lately,” Ilechukwu told Rangers Media.
“Despite our injury worries, we have the talent to get the job done in Lagos. We have prepared very well for this match and by God’s grace we shall overcome,” reflects his confidence in his team’s ability to rise to the occasion in this crucial cup tie.”
Bendel Insurance have been on the rise in the NPFL since the start of the second stanza, climbing to the fifth position with 49 points, just four points below the CAF Confederation Cup spot which is currently occupied by another late highflier, Abia Warriors.
They have five wins from their last 10 games including one away win at Kwara United last weekend. Their other results in that period include three draws and two defeats.
To advance to the round of 16, Bendel Insurance enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Adamawa United in their previous round, a continuation of their free-scoring form in the competition while Rangers, on the other hand, had a more challenging route, edging out Heartland 5-3 on penalties after regulate time ended 1-1.
Today’s game will kick off at 4:00 pm at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena.
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