HiFL: Coaches brace up ahead of Super Four finals

Ahead of the 2021 Super Four finals in the ongoing Higher Institutions Football League (HiFL), coaches of the participating teams have promised football lovers of exciting games as they challenge each other for the coveted trophy on Saturday. Supported by StanbicIBTC, Nivea Men, Bold and Minimie, HiFL is Nigeria foremost collegiate football league that is now in its third season.

Reacting to questions from journalists, Coach Daniel Dauda of the UNIMAID Desert Warriors maintained that his team would become the new champion as he hopes to outplay the AAUA Luminaries from the Adekunle Ajasin University from Akungba.

“In the semi-finals, we noticed that the FUTMinna team was a very defensive side. So going into the second leg, we decided to increase the number of strikers to put pressure on their defenders and open up their defence. That was how we were able to score the two goals” Dauda explained.

Against the Luminaries, who are the least goal conceding team, Dauda maintained that “we will play our normal game which is attacking football and that would be our strategy”.

Meanwhile, Coach of AAUA Luminaries, Joseph Abuo, said his team is set to create an upset in the finals playing against UNIMAID Desert Warriors, the highest goal-scoring team in the league from the round of 16. “I am glad that my team was able to make it to the finals of HiFL on our first attempt. Our qualification for the final did not happen by circumstance because I have told my boys that we should avoid conceding goals” Abuo said.

He added that “the Desert Warriors were scoring against teams in their zone, but with my team, it will be a different game. From our game plan and our antecedent in this league, scoring against us would be an uphill task for any team. If we cannot score against you, then you cannot score against us too. I have watched the videotapes of their games and I have seen their pattern of play. As a Manager, I know how to manage them, but I am not seeing them scoring against my team. Therefore, the fact that the UNIMAID team is a high scoring side is not a threat to us at all because we are confident about winning and becoming the champion this year”.

UAM Tillers from the University of Markurdi won the maiden edition of HiFL in 2018 while the UNICAL Malabites from the University of Calabar won the 2019 edition.