With four wins in a row, local heavyweight Mohammedan Sporting will aim to continue that perfect record when they face a victorious Churchill Brothers in the I-League here on Wednesday.
The Black Panthers are coming off a 4-0 defeat to the Indian Arrows and top the 13-team standings, while the Churchill Brothers are at the bottom without a win in four matches.
Forward Marcus Joseph has been in excellent form for Mohammedan Sporting, scoring a brace in each of his three matches.
“We have played well organized football and got good results. When you do that, you become confident and other teams start to respect you,” said Mohammad Sporting coach Andrey Chernyshov.
Churchill Brothers, on the other hand, have suffered consecutive losses in their previous matches against Suvedha FC and TRAI.
“Losing two matches in a row has been a big blow. We have a slight lack of concentration,” said assistant coach Mateus Costa.
“We’re not thinking about where we stand at the table and taking it match by match,” he said.
Goal-scoring has been a problem for Churchill, with striker Kenneth Ikechuku scoring only two of his goals so far.
Rajasthan hopes to reach top half
In the opening match of the day in Naihati, I-League qualifier champions Rajasthan United will look to break into the top half of the table when they take on the young Indian Arrows.
Rajasthan are entering the match after a goalless draw with Sudeva Delhi FC.
“We have two clean sheets and our team is looking solid. We are working to rectify some mistakes. As a team, we want to attack more to create chances and score goals,” said Rajasthan United head coach Francesc Bonet.
Reflecting on their poor performance against Mohammedan Sporting in the previous match, Indian Arrows head coach Shanmugam Venkatesh said: “It was a great opportunity for the boys to play against Mohammedan Sporting.
“It was an opportunity for them to have the experience of playing against one of the best teams in the league. But, they are learning, I am happy with how they are progressing.”
Aware of the threats posed by his opponents, he said: “They are a good team. They have got positive results in the last two matches. They have quality foreigners. Our players are ready to play under pressure and we are looking forward to the match.
Kenkare against revamped TRAI
Debutant Kenkere FC will look to turn their fortunes when they face a rejuvenated TRAI FC in the closing match of the day.
After starting with a 1-1 draw with Real Kashmir, Mumbai scored 10 goals in their last two matches against Round Glass Punjab (0-4) and Gokulam Kerala (2-6).
But head coach Akhil Kothari believes that these heavy defeats will not affect his team’s morale.
Kothari said, “Our mindset has always been to fight for the points and play well and that is something that we are not going to change.
Meanwhile, TRAU are fresh from their first win of the campaign against Churchill Brothers as they would like to continue their momentum.