Heartland Captain Anticipates Tough Enugu Rangers

[Folami David]

Heartland captain, Chinedu Efugh, has said that he believes Enugu Rangers will put up a big fight when both teams clash this Sunday.
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Both teams go head-to-head in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) in the southeast derby coined 'The Oriental Derby.'
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Efugh, who has played on both sides of the divide, described the derby as "always intense."
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"The Oriental Derby is always intense. I remember my days with Rangers, we always gave this match everything to avoid defeat because it is a matter of pride. Today, I'm a player of Heartland and the club and fans always want us to win this game whether it is in Enugu or Owerri or even a neutral ground.
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"It doesn't mean I have no respect for my former team. I respect them (Enugu Rangers) for what they have achieved as a club. But as a professional you just have to put in your best when you play in this game.
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"This derby is always a tough game. It will be tougher this time because Rangers just like us are spoiling for a win. But we will do more of the talking on the pitch," said the Heartland captain.
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The ex-Mighty Jets centre-back believes the game will be filled with pockets of player-on-player battles.
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"Of course in any big game of this kind it is expected that we will have such player versus player battle," said Efugh.
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The defender joined Heartland from Enugu Rangers in 2009 and has since led the Owerri club to two back-to-back Federation Cup titles in 2011 and 2012.