Akwa United training at Anyiam Stadium Owerri before Heartland FC clash
Heartland FC head coach Emmanuel Amuneke has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to stand shoulder-toshoulder with Enyimba; npflupdates.com reports.
The former Super Eagles winger remains upbeat that his team can match up to the nine-time champions when they face off in their first game of the 2024/25 Nigeria Premier Football League season at Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, on Sunday.
Although Heartland FC were relegated from the NPFL down to the NNL last season, they were reinstated to the topflight by the NPFL board on Tuesday.
And this achieved following the disqualification of would-have-been NPFL newcomers, Beyond Limits Football Academy, who didn’t meet up with the league’s framework on dual ownership.
Speaking to the media ahead of the game, the former Golden Eaglets manager insisted his boys are ready for the first Oriental Derby of the season.
What Amuneke said ahead of NPFL clash with Enyimba
“We will be ready for Enyimba. You know in football, it’s not something you come out and say what you are going to do or not going to do. We will go back and recover and look at the team.
“This is a team that is a work in progress; a lot of players that were here last season are no longer here; we have new players. So, I am impressed with how they played. Nobody was born with experience; they have to get it by consistently doing what they are doing,” Amuneke was quoted by PUNCH Nigeria.
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Heartland with hopes of finishing well this season, have also unveiled 30 new players for the new campaign.
The team who won the NPFL title four consecutive times will now seek a good finish on the league table.
