Kolkata: Kingfisher East Bengal would host Salgaocar SC at the Yuba Bharati Krinangan in the 21st round I-League encounter on Sunday with both the teams looking to seal the second place.
East Bengal stays on 35 points from 20 games while Salgaocar are just a point above on 36 from 20 outings, just a point away from 2nd position.
East Bengal will be missing the services of Mehtab Hossain and Sushanth Mathew, both of whom are injured. Khenthang Paite is suffering from a slight fever while Robert Lalthalma is out due to a double booking. Gurwinder Singh and Penn Orji also stay doubtful for red and gold.
East Bengal head coach Trevor Morgan said “It will be difficult to pick a squad of 18 for this match. We have a lot of injuries and players suspended.”
In the first leg encounter Salgaocar beat East Bengal 4-0, but Morgan said a repeat of our previous encounter is unlikely. We failed in almost every department on that day; we will not make the same mistakes again.
For Salgaocar Ishfaq Ahmed and Rocus Lamare will be missing from the midfield. There are no other major injury concerns or suspensions for the Goans.
Salgaocar head coach Karim Bencherifa said “We need to stay aware of East Bengal. They also have a home advantage and crowd support. But we are determined to get all the 3 points.”
Sporting Clube face Churchill Brothers
Sporting Clube de Goa are keen to avenge their humiliation at the hands of Churchill Brothers when the two teams meet in a 21st round I-League clash at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Sunday.
Sporting Clube were blanked 5-0 by Churchill in the first leg but since then a lot has changed. While Sporting Clube have only become stronger and have upset some big guns, Churchill have fallen of the pace and now have a new technical director in the formidable Subhas Bhowmick.
“We still cannot come to terms with that loss. The scoreline was so misleading and does not reflect the strengths of the two teams. We are much better and tomorrow will be a good time to show that we can match them and even score a win,” said Sporting Clube technical director Alex Alvares.
Sporting will rely on the strength of their foreign players with all of them -- James Moga, Ogba Kalu and Keita Boubacar -- in good form. The form of some of their younger players has also been encouraging.
Churchill Brothers, on the otherhand, are nine points behind league leaders Dempo Sports Club but crucially have a match in hand against Pailan Arrows which effectively could mean a six point deficit. Churchill top-brass have signed technical director Subhas Bhowmick and Brazilian coach Carlos Perreira with a clear aim to deliver the title.
Bhowmick has started to get the Churchill team together after a string of disappointing results and will face his first real test when they take on Sporting Clube. On past results, it’s a relatively easier clash but on current performance, the former I-League champions may have to sweat it out for a positive result.
“The last leg match is behind us. That is history. If you look at that match, it could have gone either way so there is no reason to be complacent. This will be a tough match,” warned Bhowmick.
Sporting Clube de Goa stay at 30 points from 20 matches while Churchill Brothers have 34 points from 19 outings.
By Indian Sports News Network
