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Sreenidi Deccan FC and Aizawl FC will clash at the Deccan Arena, Hyderabad in the I-League 2022-23 fixture on Sunday, December 11.
The hosts had been on a four-game winning streak in the league, which was halted by a loss away to current league leaders Real Kashmir FC in the previous round. In fact, Sreenidi led for the majority part of that match but were pegged back by an injury-time winner. Now back at home, they will be eager to get back into form and prove that the defeat was just a one-off event.
Aizawl, who announced Caetano Pinho as their new head coach yesterday, will be high on confidence after a hard-fought 1-0 victory at home against NEROCA FC. It will be interesting to see how the former league champions will shape up under their new leadership and whether they can pick up their first away win of the season — having registered just one point from two games so far.
In their last and only meeting in the competition, Sreenidi Deccan ran out 2-0 winners.
Ahead of the match, Sreenidi head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto said, “We have strong characters here and that shows every day in training. We have put the loss (against Real Kashmir) behind us and are looking forward to the next game.
“In this league, there are no easy games and especially with promotion to ISL up for grabs, every team will be up for it. It is no different with Aizawl either,” the Portuguese added.
Pinto also stated that one defeat doesn’t call for a change in the game plan. “As the team is already set in a certain pattern, there will not be wholesale changes. But we will be prepared for a tough match and aim for all three points,” he concluded.
Forward Ramhlunchhunga said, “The match against Real Kashmir was a difficult one. But we have to move on and now, we are focussed on the match against Aizawl FC. They are a good team and also like to keep the ball and play a possession-based game. We have a strong squad and are in good form at home, so I hope we can get the three points.”
Aizawl head coach Caetano Pinho hailed the work done by his predecessor and shared his thoughts on the opposition. “Our team has got some really talented players. Our previous coach Mr. Standly Rozario had done a tremendous job with the team on tactical and fitness grounds. The team spirit is very good, the boys are hungry, committed, and fighting for each other,” he said.
Pinho added, “Sreenidi Deccan FC are a balanced side and tactically very sound. Against us, they will try to bounce back to re-enter their winning momentum. We shall approach this away fixture cautiously and try to get the most out of this outing. Our focus is to display our strength of fast, attacking football and respond to their tactics to our advantage.”
Defender Emmanuel Makinde said, “The new coach has just arrived, and we are ready to work with him and help the team move forward. The mood in the team is good and we want to keep the momentum up. It will not be easy for us to play a team that is at the top of the table but we are ready for it and give them a tough fight.”
The match between Sreenidi Deccan FC and Aizawl FC will kick off at 2pm IST, and will be broadcast live on Eurosport and Doordarshan Sports, and streamed live on the Discovery Plus OTT platform.
