Arunava about Football A look at football & the world through my eyes!
Related Articles
Chennai City FC and Minerva Punjab FC will both want nothing less than a win when they meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore on Friday, March 2, in a massive clash that will have an effect on both ends of the I-League table.
As V. Soundararajan and his men prepare for their final league game, they face the daunting task of bringing the relentless Minerva Punjab FC side to a halt in their title race in order to better their own chances of escaping relegation.
“It is a challenge again for us. Tomorrow, it is our last match on our home ground. Only if we win, we can improve our reputation. We will go all out, regardless of the opponent. We have got nothing to lose,” said Chennai City FC head coach V. Soundararajan.
Minerva Punjab FC are top of the league table with 32 points from 16 games. With two games left, the I-League title is theirs to lose as NEROCA FC (31 points from 17 games), East Bengal (29 points from 16) and Mohun Bagan (27 points from 16) wait to pounce on any dropped points by the title favourites.
The position of their opponents in the standings has no bearing on how Minerva Punjab FC are preparing for the game, according to head coach Khogen Singh.
“We never underestimate the opponents. They had very good support at home in their last game. They are a good side. 90% of the football is about the mental strength. If you are mentally fit, you think ‘I can do that’. We are strengthing the players mentally.”
Chennai City FC are in a spot of bother at the other end of the table. Since Gokulam Kerala FC and Indian Arrows are free of relegation worries, Churchill Brothers are the team for the Southerners to better. Although superior head to head results give Chennai City FC an advantage, Soundararajan’s boys must win their last game and hope that Churchill Brothers go winless in their remaining two fixtures.
A disastrous run of eight winless games was brought to an end by Chennai City FC as they won 3-1 against their struggling rivals Churchill Brothers a few weeks ago. But East Bengal put Chennai City FC to the swords and ran riot in a 7-1 thrashing in their last game to dent the confidence in the Coimbatore-based camp.
“Last match against East Bengal was a challenge for us. Tomorrow, it is a prestige issue. Minerva (Punajb FC) are in a better position than East Bengal,” said head coach of Chennai City FC V. Soundararajan. “Initially we started well, After that, I don’t know what happened to the team. It is a bad defeat for our team. The players also agreed with me.”
Jean-Joachim Junior needs to turn up once again, just like he did at the start of the season, to fire Chennai City FC into a hopeful lead against Minerva Punjab FC. Chennai City FC have always tried to play an attacking game of football and it should continue against Khogen Singh’s side, against whom they will hope to score early in the game to pile up the pressure.
Defeats to giant-killers Gokulam Kerala FC and title rivals East Bengal caused an opening for the title race, reducing Minerva Punjab FC’s lead at the top. Akash Sangwan and Armand Bazie scored to help the Punjab-based side to register a strong win against Aizawl FC in their previous game and that should act as a huge morale-booster.
Minerva Punjab FC’s ability to project a united front has helped them mount a serious title challenge this season. Add Bhutanese superstar Chencho Gyeltshen to the mix and they boast a talented first team lineup. “There is no difference between Indian and foreign players at Minerva Punjab. We are working and playing as a team. Chencho Gyeltshen is a talented boy. We used him in the right position.”
An early goal for Chennai City FC could pave way for a shock result but Minerva Punjab FC will be confident of a commanding performance over ninety minutes to put one hand on the much sought out I-League trophy.
The match is scheduled at 5:30pm and it’ll broadcast on Star Sports 2/2 HD and streamed live on Hotstar and Jio TV.
