The forthcoming pre-season tournament, the Eko International Cup (EIC) is fast generating interest as fans of the game are looking forward with high expectations.

One remarkable fixture in the minds of many is the new South West derby in the domestic league which will be rekindled in the tourney.

Shooting Stars of Ibadan and the Nigeria Professional Football League champions, Remo Stars, are the latest rivals in the domestic league from the south west zone.

In the just concluded season, Remo Stars achieved a double over Shooting Stars by beating the Ibadan based team 2-1 in Ikenne and 1-0 in Ibadan.

With the two teams in the highly anticipated pre-season tourney holding in Lagos, a tough encounter is expected especially with the pedigree of the two coaches.

Gbenga Ogunbote of Shooting Stars is one of the most respected coaches in the country while Daniel Ogunmodede is also among the top coaches in the country.

“This is one big match I look forward to in the tournament just as I expect to see the teams coming from other parts of the continent, give them a good run,” a Lagos-based football said .

The Eko International Cup take a centre stage between July 6th and 13th at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos.

SKI-Hi Entertainment in collaboration with the Lagos State Government is staging the competition expected to feature a total of eight teams.

They are; Remo Stars, Ikorodu United, Shooting Stars and Enyimba of Aba. The four teams expected from other parts of the continent are FC Kallon of Sierra Leone, Accra Hearts of Oak, Ghana, SuperSports United FC of South Africa and FC Dadje of Republic of Benin.

The Executive Director, Publicity and Strategy for the Local Organizing Committee of the EIC, Onome Obruthe, said the tournament would be a game changer  as arrangements are in top gear.

“We have been working so hard on the pre-season tournament and we appreciate the strong support of Lagos State Government in getting us to where we are today. Fans of the game will have a good dose of exciting football in July, I am sure about this,” Obruthe noted.