Kochi: Three days ago, Eagles FC were unsure of what to dream for when they went up against Pune FC that had arrived at the scene of the Federation Cup like a cocky superstar from a Bollywood flick.
Having held the favourites to a surprise draw in the first match of Group-A the humble second division club from the host city aims to make most of their rare stint in the big-ticket event as second round matches get underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Friday.
Eagles lock horns with group toppers Churchill Brothers in a do-or-die battle while favourites Pune FC shape up to redeem lost pride against a deflated United Sports Club and keep their semifinal chances alive.
“We played the last match well, but I’ve told my boys to keep their feet on the ground. This is a tough group but my boys are full of confidence and we will give our best against Churchill,” said Eagles coach Stanley Rozario.
However, the Eagles are sweating over their injured defender Govin Singh and midfielder Sujil S. The coach says they will assess the players on the morning of the match.
Churchill are thrilled to be in lead with a 2-1 victory against United SC though Mariano Dias conceded that he is wary of the unpredictable home team. “They really impressed me in the first match.
We can expect a tough contest tomorrow. It is not the time to relax or be nervous, we want to win and get closer to the semifinal as early as possible,” said Churchill coach Mariano.
Their forward Balwant Singh suffered a knee injury against United, but Mariano has confirmed he is fit and will start against the Eagles under the floodlights.
Meanwhile, Pune coach Mike Snoei said his boys were under no pressure playing United. “We’ve played them twice this year and have done well (a draw and a win). We are confident going into this game as well,” said the Dutchman.
Fixtures
(both Group A)
United SC vs Pune FC at 4 pm
Eagles FC vs Churchill Brothers at 7 pm
Sikkim test for Dempo in key Group ‘D’ game
Sikkim test for Dempo in key Group ‘D’ game
Kochi: After the narrow win against Bhawanipore FC, Dempo SC coach Arthur Papas will have a major chance to prove his team’s mettle when his side face United Sikkim FC in a Group ‘D’ encounter here on Friday.
The team, which plunged into disastrous form in I-League after the coach was forced to take a long leave due to personal reasons, had an anxious time with second-division team Bhawanipore FC in the opening match.
It was the substitution of Alwyn George that rescued the Goan team from a goal down to a 2-1 win. “In tight matches, right players used at the right time will bring you favourable results.
So Alwyn George was included in my early plans but he was the right player, who could help us save points,” Arthur Papas said.
But his problems do not end with the “right players” as most of his players, especially the defenders, are out of form. Most of the time they were easy to beat and gave space for
Bhawanipore FC forwards enough room to make an impact.
Apart from Alwyn, seasoned player Clifford Miranda was the only person who made an impact in the first game and Arthur Papas will have to count a lot on the former international.
Meanwhile, their rivals United Sikkim were not able to come up with a decent performance in their first match against Mohammedan Sporting Club. They will have to bank on other team’s performances to keep their hopes of making the knockout stage alive.
Another team, who will nurse knockout ambitions from the group will be Mohammedan’s. Though they won the first match rather easily, their real strength will be put to test when they face Bhawanipore FC, who had shown a spirited performance against Dempo SC.
“It is a must-win match for us. If we win the match then our last group match against Dempo SC will be an exciting encounter. Everyone is confident and are raring to go,” said Dhanarajan, Mohemmadan’s captain.
Bhawanipore FC will miss three first eleven players because of injury, including a striker and their real problem will be finishing an attack. Their strikers need to rake up speed, which was a major weakness in the match against Dempo SC.
