I-League: Struggling Aizawl FC face Real Kashmir at home, resurgent East Bengal look for another win

A struggling Aizawl FC will look to notch up their first win of the season at home when they face Real Kashmir FC in I-Legaue in Aizawl on Saturday.

The former champions are currently languishing at 10th spot with just eight points from one win, five draws and two losses, and they will be desperately looking to revive their campaign with a victory against the visitors from Srinagar.

Aizawl’s form at home has been a major concern for coach Stanley Rozario as his side have won just one match here. Moreover, Aizawl have not tasted a win in the last five matches, drawing four and losing one.

Set to play Real Kashmir for the first time this season, Rozario is hoping that his men will find their scoring boots to collect full points on Saturday.

“In the last four games, we went in front but then, we conceded and ended up dropping points,” Rozario said. “We are creating more goal-scoring chances in the last 15 minutes in every game but that is just a number. In a league as competitive as I-League, you just cannot afford to commit such silly mistakes, as we have been.”

Real Kashmir, on the other hand, have had a mixed bag of a season and are placed seventh in the standings with nine points from seven matches. They are coming into Saturday’s match with a 2-0 victory against Indian Arrows 2-0 after three winless games.

Asked where do they look to finish this season, coach David Robertson said, “After seven games and playing catch up with games, we are not focussing on any finish at the moment. Our destiny will be decided around game 14. We are just looking to make sure we win each game that we play.”

Resurgent East Bengal

Fresh from an away victory, a resurgent East Bengal will be further bolstered by the arrival of their new coach Mario Rivera when they take on bottom-placed Indian Arrows in an I-League clash at Kalyani.

The 42-year-old was appointed head coach till the end of the ongoing season following the resignation of Alejandro Menendez in the aftermath of their 1-2 derby debacle to Mohun Bagan.

Rivera was Menendez’s deputy and also doubled up as the head coach’s interpreter and his familiarity with the conditions will be an added bonus for the Red-and-Gold brigade, who are going through a difficult phase.

But to their advantage, East Bengal have managed to snap their three-match losing streak with a 2-0 win over Chennai City in Coimbatore in their previous outing.

East Bengal, who have 11 points from eight matches, have three home ties on the trot beginning with the AIFF developmental side and they would look to make the most out of them under the new coach.

After Saturday’s clash, East Bengal will take on Aizawl FC and Punjab FC on February 7 and 13 respectively.

“The mood is very good after a great game against Chennai,” East Bengal captain Lalrindika Ralte said. “Everyone feels positive but a lot of work still needs to be done. Indian Arrows will be a tough challenge. They have young players, who like to run a lot and are great while in possession. It’s not going to be easy.”

Having trailed Mohun Bagan by 12 points just two weeks ago, a win for East Bengal will take them to within six points of their arch-rivals, and subsequently, back in the title race.

Red and Golds looked like a completely transformed side against Chennai with some simple, yet effective tweaks paying dividends.

Asheer Akhtar has been a revelation at the back and with Marti Crespi returning from suspension, Kamalpreet Singh might have to walk an extra mile in training to retain his position in the eleven.

Brandon Vanlalremdika had a brilliant outing as well and might start yet again at the expense of Pintu Mahata.

The Arrows, on the other hand, suffered their third straight defeat, going down to Real Kashmir 0-2 and remained at the bottom with four points from eight matches.

The Arrows continue to play their experimental brand of exciting football with Indian national team manager Igor Stimac keeping a close eye on them.

“Motivation is not a problem for these boys. We are a young side that is developing and learning with every game and we will continue doing that against Quess East Bengal,” head coach of Indian Arrows Shanmugam Venkatesh said.

“Results matter but fundamentally, we are a developmental side. We have been training hard each day and all the boys have grown as individuals and players over the season. They are giving their all on the pitch each time.

“East Bengal are a very good team. They have great quality in their squad. They have some of the top players in the league and they will come into the match with great confidence, having played well in their previous match against Chennai,” he said.

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