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On the very first matchday of the New Year, it will be a clash of the titans in I-League as Churchill Brothers host the undefeated East Bengal at the Fatorda on Saturday, January 4.
The match will be broadcast LIVE on DSPORT from 5pm onward.
Churchill Brothers aka the Red Machines are coming on the back of a shock defeat at the hands of the young Indian Arrows. Churchill Brothers, who are placed fourth in the table, faced their first defeat in their last encounter owing to a major defensive lapse.
Churchill Brothers head coach Bernardo Tavares spoke about the last match saying, “We showed a poor image of our team in our last game. We can do much better. We must do better as a team playing without the ball. We gave too much space to them to play and they got confidence and believed that they can draw because we could not score the second goal to kill the result of the game.”
“We had got 19 shots on target against 7 shots by our opponents, they scored two goals in two mistakes from us. If we want to win games and get three points, we cannot sit back and must try to score quickly. I want to forget the last game as an accident and we can’t let this happen again in future.”
Speaking about their opponents East Bengal, he said, “I have already analysed their four games in I-League. Their Spanish players are good but others are also good. So we need to see them as a strong unit. If we want to have a good game against them, we cannot make the same mistakes that we did in the last game because East Bengal are a better team. We must be sharper- with as well as without the ball, transitions and in the set pieces.”
East Bengal, on the other hand, are the only undefeated team in the league and have been in a scintillating form until now. After the initial two draws against Real Kashmir FC and Punjab FC, the red and gold outfit have run riot over NEROCA FC with a 4-1 win and a 2-1 win over TRAU FC. East Bengal will be playing their first match since December 14.
East Bengal head coach Alejandro Menéndez Garcia looked confident and happy with the team’s run, “I think the team is high on confidence, good results have helped the same and we are working really well together as a team. We will face the game with optimism and are motivated to keep continuing the work we have been doing.”
Although the Red Machines were on the receiving end against Indian Arrows, Menendez warned his boys before taking them on, “Churchill Brothers are a threatening side and even if they did not win last game, I am sure they will be very motivated to play against us. They will play at home, they know we are in good shape, we will not have the surprise factor as Arrows had. I understand we need to be very sharp in defence and in the attack. If we are not able to perform at a high level, it will be tough to get three points.”
