Kun Khalifat FC manager Obinna Uzoho has declared his squad fully prepared to defeat Kano Pillars when the two sides meet at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri on Matchday 36, scheduled for 3 May 2026.
The match carries serious weight at both ends. Kano Pillars, under coach Mohammed Babaganaru, sit 12th on the NPFL table with 45 points. Kun Khalifat are in 18th place with 40 points. With relegation still a real threat for both clubs, every point between now and the end of the season matters enormously.
Uzoho showed no signs of anxiety ahead of the fixture. Speaking to his club's media, he acknowledged Pillars' status in Nigerian football while making his intentions clear: "We are up against the 'Old Dogs' of the NPFL. Sai Masu Gida is a team with deep history, but we will play in our home ground. We do not fear them, even though we respect them. They might have the name, but we have the hunger, we are hungrier. More technically disciplined, and tactically ready for Kano Pillars. We are gunning for all three points."
That confidence is not without basis. Kun Khalifat head into this fixture on the back of three consecutive league games without defeat, which will give Uzoho's players genuine belief that they can add Pillars to their recent run of positive results.
For Pillars fans, the concern is real. The away form has been a problem — the team has lost three of their last five road trips, including a 3-0 defeat at Ikorodu City on Matchday 34 and a heavy 4-1 loss at Bayelsa United on Matchday 32. Going to Owerri against a side fighting for survival and riding a momentum wave is not a comfortable assignment.
The positive news is that Pillars come into this game off a 2-1 home win over Rivers United on Matchday 35, with Abdullahi Musa and Ahmed Musa both on the scoresheet. That victory will have lifted spirits in the camp, and Babaganaru will need his squad to carry that energy into enemy territory this Sunday.