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The I-League is set to resume after a long gap of 41 days. For unbeaten leaders Mohammedan Sporting, the gap at the top of the table after the first half of the season is seven points. The formula is simple for the Black and White Brigade – continue what they’ve been doing for the next 13 games, and you are I-League champions and promoted to the ISL.
But head coach Andrey Chernyshov knows he will not have it easy with Sreenidi Deccan FC and Real Kashmir FC also hot in the chase. Mohammedan Sporting host the latter in their first game of the new year on February 4 at the Naihati Bankimanjali Stadium. For the Snow Leopards, apart from its importance in the title race, the match will have emotional connotations. It will be the first time they take the field after the untimely death of their owner Sandeep Chattoo in December 2023.
Going by their track record so far, a feast of goals is not expected. Mohammedan Sporting and Real Kashmir are the two best defences in the I-League this season, having conceded only seven and six goals respectively in 11 matches. As it has been for the past few seasons, the visitors’ away form is a cause for concern. Having played most of their games in the comfort of their TRC Turf Ground in Srinagar is one of the reasons they find themselves in second place. Their six-game unbeaten run came to an end with an away loss to Delhi FC at the end of the year. And if Ishfaq Ahmed’s boys are to pose a serious challenge for the title, they have to find their feet on their trips, starting with the most difficult one on offer this season on Sunday evening.
Unfortunately, the first round of matches of the new year is reduced to only three games. While waterlogging due to heavy rains meant that the two matches in Sri Bhaini Sahib (Rajasthan United FC vs Namdhari FC and Delhi FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC) had to be suspended, the much-awaited Imphal Derby between NEROCA FC and TRAU FC has also been postponed due to the current political situation in Manipur.
However, fans in Shillong will not have to wait any longer to watch their own Shillong Lajong FC return to I-League action as they take on Inter Kashi on February 3. The entire city has been in a festive mood since Shillong Lajong’s return to the I-League after four years. With the second-highest average attendance after Gokulam Kerala, the fans have done their part in pushing their side to a creditable fifth place.
Both Shillong Lajong and Inter Kashi gained valuable experience from their participation in the Kalinga Super Cup last month. Despite finishing last in their respective groups, both coaches Bobby Nongbet and Carlos Santamarina were pleased to have their boys in competitive action in the mid-season, which would be helpful for them in the second half of the I-League.
The break in the league came at the right time for Sreenidi Deccan as it gave them time to go back to the drawing board after ending last year with only one win in four games, the last of which was a timid showing in a 1-4 home defeat to Gokulam Kerala. Carlos Vaz Pinto’s side put on a strong show in the Kalinga Super Cup, going down by the narrowest of margins to Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC before thrashing Hyderabad FC 4-1 in the first-ever Hyderabad derby to end on a high.
That should rejuvenate the Deccan Warriors as they travel to Vasco da Gama to take on Churchill Brothers on February 4. The Red Machines have undergone some reshuffling over the past month, parting away with head coach Edgardo Malvestiti and hiring former Namdhari FC, Gokulam Kerala FC and Rajasthan United FC boss Francesc Bonet. Foreigners Meysam Shahmakvandzadeh, Emiliano Callegari and Ricardo Dichiara have also left the club. Dichiara was their top scorer of the season with five goals.
Churchill Brothers may be lying in ninth place at the moment, but they have been a different gravy at home. Having put four past TRAU and NEROCA, they ended the year with a goalless draw with Mohammedan Sporting, becoming the first team to prevent the leaders from scoring this season.
