I-League Weekend Preview: Round 13

Thirteen is generally considered an unlucky number. In Mumbai, some of the buildings don’t even have a 13th floor like the famous Chandramukhi Towers at Nariman Point.

The 13th round has some key games for the top five sides. Whether the two digit number plays an important factor would be known only after the weekend games.

Numerology isn’t very fascinating to me; I hope most teams would agree on this! Without wasting much of your time, let’s go through the weekend matches which are on offer for the Indian football fans…

Mumbai FC – East Bengal (January 31st’ ’09, Mumbai)

The Mumbai club has done fairly well by being on the fourth spot in the table. They have played as a unit and know how to churn out victories.

Their last game wasn’t a rosy affair especially after some defensive mistakes which allowed Mohan Bagan to capitalize and change the face of the game.

This weekend they come across another Kolkata side in East Bengal. Much would depend on what formation coach David Booth decides to go into the game with. In the last game, the 4-3-3 formation didn’t work. Their midfield looked second best to Mohun Bagan in the latter stages of the match.

Having lost their first home game, Mumbai FC shall surely raise their game and not make it easy for the visitors who have problems of their own.

East Bengal haven’t been able to produce the goods for over two years now except for the one Federation Cup victory in 2007. Their star studded team has been marred with injury and fitness concerns.

With a new coach, the team shall hope that their fortunes change but so far, nothing has happened. In most of their friendlies, they have been disappointing and drew their last I-League match against lowly Chirag United.

Lack of confidence is also an issue which can be sorted only winning a game. How they do it? That’s the job of the coach and his team.

The Kolkata side are not the favourites going into the game as it’s not easy to break Mumbai FC unless the latter has a poor game.

Mohammedan Sporting – Sporting Clube De Goa (January 31st ’09, Kolkata)

The Black and Whites’ are the new favourites to go down into the second division. Their poor showing in the league continued in Mumbai.

They were lucky to escape with a point against Air India as Bimal Ghosh’s men squandered a number of opportunities in the first half and surprisingly went into their own shell after the break.

Shabbir Ali’s task isn’t easy and whether his side can deliver the goods is a question which will be answered on Saturday at the Salt Lake Stadium.

The league leaders Sporting Clube De Goa have lost their winning charisma in the last two months. Anything less than a win would allow Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers on Sunday to go ahead of them.

In the last game they faced bottom placed Vasco and went down disappointingly 1-0 in Goa. Now, they have Mohammedan, who are second from bottom away from home. Does Sporting have the mettle to win away games?

Their form in Kolkata has been very poor even for a side which wants to stay alive in the league. They have won against Chirag and lost to East Bengal. In the Federation Cup, which was hosted by the City of Joy, had no joy whatsoever for the Flaming Orange. They lost all their three games and were easily the biggest flop in the tournament.

JCT-Vasco (31st January, Ludhiana)

The Punjab side have made a good start to the second phase of the I-League as they did in the first by beating the best team in the country – Dempo.

With 15 points in their bag, JCT can only move upwards in the table having to play most of their games at home. They are a side in India who actually enjoy home advantage as against most sides.

Most of their players are fit again and that should be good news for Sukhwinder Singh. A strong showing in the second phase could see them in the top five without doubt.

Having beaten the league leaders in the last game, the confidence of the side would be sky high for sure. Coach Elvis Goes had mentioned a day before the match that the break had helped him to work on his team and that one would see a better Vasco side in the second phase.

Whether they played better or not is another question but at the end of the day, it’s them who earned the three points. If they do manage to get some good results, they can slowly surge ahead.

Chirag United – Mahindra United (February 1st ’09, Kolkata)

It’s game of the two United’s. Mahindra United’s problems have been lack of enough goals upfront and facing Chirag isn’t the best option at this moment.

Chirag have two Nigerian center-backs, who have successfully kept out the likes of Odafa Okolie, Yusif Yakubu and Sunil Chhetri in the past. In Kolkata to beat Chirag isn’t the best proposition for the Red Devils.

The Kolkata side shall look to add some more points and try to keep themselves in the top division for next season. A draw wouldn’t be a bad result for them especially against a star studded side.

In the first phase, they did manage to get the better of their opponents but to do it the second time, they would need something special.

Mahindra had a good Federation Cup performance wise last month and shall look for the same inspiration to work for them.

Dempo SC - Churchill Brothers SC (February 1st ’09, Goa)

This is undoubtedly the match of the round. Two teams who play good attacking football and don’t fear to take risks. Churchill Brothers have started their second phase with a 3-0 victory over Mahindra United. However, the scoreline doesn’t show the match progressed as the Red Devils missed a host of chances which allowed the Goan side to comeback.

Defensively, Churchill allowed Mahindra too much space and the lack of height of Robert Lalthampuana. They have scored the maximum goals in the league and the ‘Odafa’ factor is working for them as always.

Dempo’s story is different this season as they are yet to hit the top gear having lost two games in the past week. Goals have been hard to come and their defence has been exposed by the opposition.

A win against Churchill would allow them t claw back into the title race and restore their fleeting confidence. A defeat would almost but end their end their title hopes and open up a big gap at the top. The defending champions must realise their opportunity and make the most of it.

Air India – Mohun Bagan (February 1st ’09, Mumbai)

The Mumbai side’s first half display against Mohammedan Sporting was brilliant though they missed a number of chances. Air India stitched together some good ground passes alongwith their trademark ‘long balls’.

One of the fittest teams in the league, they can hit the opposition in the latter stages of the game. Statistically speaking, they are yet to lose a game at the Cooperage in the league. This was true even for Mumbai FC until Mohun Bagan inflicted a 3-0 defeat on them.

The Green and Maroons look dangerous and make the most of the chances they create. Defensively they have looked solid and upfront they have the class of Bhaichung Bhutia and Jose Barreto who showed why they are one of the most lethal combinations last week in Mumbai.

All in all, it will be busy weekend for most. So what are you waiting for? Head to the nearest stadium or catch the live games on TV.  

Rahul Bali.