Rivers United are counting down to their next Nigeria Premier Football League challenge as they prepare to travel to Aba for their upcoming fixture.

The Pride of Rivers have five days to prepare for the encounter and have already made their intentions clear, with the club sending a confident message to supporters ahead of the trip.

In a post shared on their social media platforms, Rivers United wrote: “The Pride of Rivers is heading to Aba and we’re not going there to make up the numbers. Unbeaten. Solid at the back. Hungry for the 3 points.”

The message underlines the team’s confidence as they look to continue their strong start to the 2026/27 NPFL campaign.

Rivers United have impressed with their consistency so far this season, particularly with their ability to avoid defeat. The club’s reference to being “Unbeaten” shows the importance they place on maintaining that record as they head into another difficult away fixture.

The trip to Aba will provide another opportunity for the Pride of Rivers to prove their strength away from home. With three points at stake, the team will be hoping to combine their defensive organisation with enough attacking quality to secure a positive result.

Sports247 will be keeping a close eye on Rivers United as the countdown to the fixture continues. The team’s recent run of games has already tested their squad, making their ability to maintain consistency an important part of their campaign.

For Rivers United, the objective is straightforward: arrive in Aba with confidence, compete for the full 90 minutes and return home with maximum points.

With five days left before kick-off, the Pride of Rivers have started the countdown. Their message is clear — they are not travelling to Aba simply to participate.

They are going there hungry for three points and determined to keep their unbeaten run alive.

President of the African Beach Soccer Union, Mahmud Hadejia, believes Nigeria’s decision to test the Sand Eagles against African champions Senegal was exactly the preparation required ahead of their crucial Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ghana.

Nigeria suffered a 6-4 defeat in the opening friendly at the Murtala Muhammed Square Beach Soccer Arena in Kaduna, but Hadejia insists the result was secondary to exposing the team to the intensity they should expect when the competitive battle with Ghana begins.

The Sand Eagles are rebuilding after spending two years without competitive international action, making the Senegal double-header an important opportunity to assess their readiness against the continent’s benchmark team.

According to Hadejia, Senegal were deliberately chosen because their quality, physical approach and beach soccer pedigree provide Nigeria with the kind of examination needed before facing Ghana’s Black Sharks.

Senegal are the defending African champions and have established themselves as the dominant force in African beach soccer, making the friendlies a demanding test rather than an exercise designed simply to produce comfortable victories.

Sand Eagles head coach Abdullahi Isa shared that assessment, describing Senegal as quality opposition capable of helping his players shake off match rust before the qualifiers.

Nigeria will host Ghana in the first leg in Kaduna on October 10, before travelling to Accra for the decisive return fixture. The winner over the two legs will qualify for the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal.

The assignment carries added importance after Nigeria narrowly missed the previous continental championship, losing to Mauritania on the away-goals rule during qualification in 2024.

For Hadejia, therefore, playing Senegal was about discovering weaknesses before Ghana gets the opportunity to exploit them.

The 6-4 scoreline may have gone Senegal’s way, but the real value of the friendly will be measured against Ghana — when lessons learned against Africa’s champions must translate into an AFCON ticket.