Rivers United will be without several key defenders ahead of this weekend’s crunch NPFL tie at ABS FC in Ilorin.
It was gathered that captain Festus Austine will not be available for the match due to injury.
Similarly, his defensive partner Ayobanmi Asekunowo, who missed Wednesday’s pyrrhic 1-0 win over MFM FC in Port Harcourt, will also not be available for manager Stanley Eguma’s selection.
To make matters worse, Gabriel Olalekan picked a needless red card on Wednesday against MFM, meaning he will be suspended for one match.
This development has seen the club come short on centre-backs as they face a rampant ABS in Ilorin on Sunday
“This is one of our biggest concerns at the moment Ayobanmi is down with injury, ‘Agada’ Festus Austine is injured and Gabriel (Olalekan) has a red card,” lamented coach Eguma.
“It means all our central defenders are out.
“It is worrisome, it is affecting us, the players picking injuries at the slightest count.
“You also add the fact that the players are fatigued following our continental matches.”