Remo Stars technical adviser Usman Abd'Allah has made it clear that his side cannot afford to drop any more points between now and the end of the season, saying they must win all five of their remaining Nigeria Premier Football League matches to stay up.
The warning comes ahead of their visit to the Sani Abacha Stadium this weekend, where they will face Kano Pillars. Abd'Allah, who is a former Pillars man himself, knows exactly what kind of environment his players will be walking into.
Remo Stars arrived at this point after beating Shooting Stars 1-0 in a South West derby last weekend — a result that lifted them to 17th place on the table. They are still very much in the danger zone, and Abd'Allah is not pretending otherwise.
"Kano is a very competitive place to be, now every single match we have, it is important to get something positive," he told Remo Stars media. "We don't need to drop any point until the end of the season. Most importantly in our home ground, we must ensure we get the maximum points in the remaining games. If not it's going to be very difficult."
For Kano Pillars fans, this is useful context. Remo Stars are a desperate side coming to Kano with their backs against the wall — and a desperate opponent is always a dangerous one. Pillars will need to be at their best on matchday 34. The home crowd at Sani Abacha will have a big role to play.