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In the last remaining first leg fixture of the 12th I-League, a buoyant Indian Arrows host Kolkata giants East Bengal at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, January 8 at 2pm IST.
Both teams are in good form with the visitors unbeaten in four games and the hosts only going down narrowly to a strong Churchill Brothers en route to picking up seven points in their last four with two wins.
Although the gulf between the two sides on paper is a given, the Indian Arrows have been relentless and dangerous throughout the campaign accounting for some big scalps along the way. East Bengal’s Spanish coach Alejandro Menendez Garcia will know that an off-day cannot be afforded against them.
Garcia has utilised the January transfer window to bolster his attack with the signing of fellow Spaniard Toni Dovale from Cyprus. Manipuri midfielder Siam Hanghal has also been drafted in on a loan deal.
Jobby Justin remains the premiere target-man for East Bengal with six quality goals in the league campaign so far and combined with Jaime Colado and Laldanmawia Ralte, there is enough flair in the East Bengal attack to comfortably overcome the Arrows on their day.
“First, we must respect the Arrows team,” stressed Garcia on matchday eve, making it clear that his team was far from being complacent going into the game. “We know that it won’t be an easy match for us and we will try to win and we have to be very competitive and do all the things we have prepared for. If we win, we will be at the top in this league,” he concluded, forecasting possibilities in the near future.
The Indian Arrows have settled into a rhythm and their relentless pace has been causing many fancied teams issues. They have been finding new goalscorers every day, the latest being Rohit Danu, drafted in from the India U-16 side.
There is also a sense of percentage play expected from the ‘seniors’ of the side like Rahul KP, Amarjit Kiyam, Boris Singh and others, and coach Floyd Pinto has no doubt exceeded expectations so far.
Appearing in his usual expressive self at the pre-game press conference, Pinto gave a hint of his strategy saying, “Like every match, we have prepared ourselves to be in our best possible condition and the last four games went really well.”
He also seemed well aware of the context, stating, “There are a lot of factors for tomorrow’s game. East Bengal are well rested and got some new players. It will be interesting to see what combination we can put in and how the boys tackle the new East Bengal.”
It is another mountain to climb, though, for the IndianArrows youngsters come Tuesday, given that the visitors will go all out for a win. Three points would not only place East Bengal fourth on the table with 19 points but will also make them the most favourably placed to challenge leaders Chennai, especially as they have an extra game in hand.
The Indian Arrows, on the other hand, will do all in their powers to sustain the positive winds that have started to blow for them and will not go down without a fight.
