Emmanuel Deutsch’s side have one point from five games, and Shooting Stars arrive in Aba for a fixture that has waited almost a month.
Want our football coverage to show up first?
Add FootballInNigeria as a preferred source and our stories get a "Preferred" badge in your Google Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode results.
Enyimba host Shooting Stars at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba on Wednesday, September 30, chasing a first win of the 2026/27 NPFL season. Kick-off is at 4pm. The nine time champions sit bottom of the table with one point from five matches.
Their only point came in a goalless draw at Kano Pillars on Sunday, which ended a run of four straight defeats. Before that, they lost 2-1 to Niger Tornadoes on Matchday 1, then went down 1-0 at home to Inter Lagos. The 3-2 defeat to Sporting Lagos came after Enyimba had led 2-0.
Deutsch Asks for Calm
That adds up to three goals scored and eight conceded in five games. Technical adviser Emmanuel Deutsch has said there is “no fire on the mountain”, a Nigerian way of telling everyone to stay calm. He insists the home game must be won for the fans in Aba.
How long will the calm last? A club with nine league titles doesn’t expect to sit at the foot of the table. Supporters were already questioning the team’s direction after the Inter Lagos defeat.
What to Know About 3SC
Shooting Stars, nicknamed the Oluyole Warriors, have six points from four games and sit 16th. They beat Inter Lagos 2-1 in their opener and Katsina United 2-0, then lost 1-0 at Warri Wolves on Sunday to an eighth minute Othuke Egbo goal. NPFL followers who fancy their own forecast can try the Super9ja ₦10M prediction game before kick-off.
The game was meant to be played on Matchday 2. The NPFL postponed it so 3SC could concentrate on the CAF Confederation Cup tie against CS Sfaxien. They won the first leg 1-0 at home but went out 2-1 on aggregate.
Recent Meetings Have Been Lopsided
Enyimba won 3-0 in Aba on December 28, 2025, with goals from Chinedu Ufere, Edidiong Ezekiel and Chidera Michael. Just over two weeks later, 3SC won by the same score in Ibadan. Neither side has managed a close game against the other lately.
Lucky Emmanuel opened the scoring in the 17th minute that day, with Sodiq Ibrahim and Qamar Adegoke adding goals in the second half. Emmanuel also scored the goal that beat Sfaxien in the first leg.
Enyimba’s home ground offers some comfort after the December win. New bettors weighing up the game can look at the Bet9ja sign-up offer first.
What Is at Stake
Enyimba’s slump has already cost them ground. Plateau United climbed to second on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Inter Lagos, a sign of how quickly the top of the table is moving.
Three other rescheduled fixtures are also on the Wednesday card. Katsina United face Rivers United, Sporting Lagos meet Ikorodu City, and Warri Wolves and Enugu Rangers go head to head.
Anyone weighing a stake on the midweek round can check Nigeria’s top Bet9ja code before the games begin.
For Deutsch, the question is simple. Can a side with three goals in five games find enough at home to win, or does the panic finally start?
📌 Did You Know?
- The Sfaxien tie was 3SC’s first continental campaign since 1999, a gap of 27 years.
- Enyimba are two time African champions, having won the CAF Champions League in 2003 and 2004.
- The December win over 3SC moved Enyimba to eighth on 26 points from 19 games, only six points off the top three.
- Ufere was 22 when he opened the scoring in that game with a first time volley from a Kalu Nweke delivery.
- Enyimba’s clean sheet at Kano came against a Pillars side that had scored 10 goals in its first four league games.
- Deutsch is Cameroonian and previously coached Sunshine Stars in the NPFL.
- The Enyimba International Stadium holds about 16,000 spectators.
