Rivals clash in first Lagos derby in 10 years

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Inter Lagos host Sporting Lagos at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Sunday, in the first top-flight Lagos derby in 10 years, with both sides also hunting their first points and first goals of the new Nigeria Premier Football League season.

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The clash was not originally scheduled to carry such historic weight, but a postponement involving Sporting Lagos and Ikorodu City in Matchday Two, after the venue was made unavailable owing to a political rally, cleared the way for Sunday’s meeting to become the derby fans had long awaited.

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The wait had stretched back to 2016, when MFM FC and Ikorodu City last contested a Lagos derby in the top-flight, a match MFM won 3-1.

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Both clubs have used social media in the build-up to needle one another, with Inter Lagos highlighting an unbeaten record of three wins and a draw from four previous meetings with their rivals, dating back to friendlies and second-tier encounters.

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Sporting Lagos, for their part, enter as the more experienced side in the top-flight, having previously featured in the league during the 2023/24 season before relegation, a campaign in which they opened with an unbeaten run of three matches.

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Both teams suffered defeats to league leaders Doma United in their most recent outings, leaving them without a win and without a goal to their name so far this season.

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Inter Lagos have played a game more than their rivals and sit at the foot of the table alongside them, meaning Sunday’s derby carries the added significance of an opportunity for either side to climb off the bottom.

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