|
|
I-League Preview: Mohun Bagan - Churchill Brothers
The two losing Federation Cup semi-finalists kickoff phase two...
07-Jan-2010 11:34:09 PM
Kick-Off: Friday, 8th January
14:30 IST: Vidyasagar Krirangan, Barasat
14:30 IST: Vidyasagar Krirangan, Barasat
The top two teams from last season – Churchil Brothers & Mohun Bagan face off in a crucial round nine encounter on Friday afternoon. The match was originally scheduled for Thursday but due to the unavailability of police, IFA moved it to Friday and now the game will be played on the natural surface at Barasat instead of the artificial turf at Salt Lake.
Chance To Go Top
A win will take Mohun Bagan to the top of the I-League table for the first time this season, level on points with Churchill. But the Mariners haven’t particularly looked strong at home as they have lost three out of their five matches in Kolkata. They have several injury problems and will be coming into this game on the back of the Federation Cup semi-final defeat against arch rivals East Bengal.
However Bencherifa’s team have built up a reputation of performing at their best in the worst of times so another strong performance can be expected from them. Bagan's talisman Barreto rather uncharacteristically, missed a number of chances in the Federation Cup despite scoring three goals. But his partnership with Chidi has looked dangerous and the duo has the ability to turn it on against any side. Japanese midfielder Seoka also seems to be a good player and going forward Bagan do look strong.
Their problems lie in defence as many key players are missing due to injury so Rakesh Masih might be used as a center back alongside Sangram Mandi or Sheikh Azim. Considering the talent in the Churchill attack, the Mariners backline could have a tough outing. Encouragingly Brazilian Marcos Pereira is available again and is likely to feature at the heart of the midfield.
The I-League is still very wide open but Mohun Bagan will take a giant step in the title race if they take three points from this.
Let’s Focus On The Pitch
The postponement actually gave Churchill the chance to train ahead of this game as they didn’t have training on Wednesday following an off the field controversy on Tuesday evening when three of their players were held up in Mumbai police station on charges of molestation. The Goan side cannot afford to look back and must focus on the game because a win will take them six points clear of last season’s runners-up Mohun Bagan but anything less could see them surrender top spot either at the end of the match or round.
Churchill looked flawless in the group stages of the Federation Cup as they were the only team to have a hundred percent record and didn’t concede goal. But shockingly they lost 0-1 against the impressive Lajong side in the semi-final with Odafa failing to convert his spot-kick. Before criticizing the I-League champions for that loss, we must remember that any side can have an off day and the result wasn’t by any means a disaster for their season. They of course are the current league leaders and also have the AFC Champions League playoff to look forward to.
Carlos Roberto Pareira’s team don’t seem to have too many problems on the pitch. Even in that semi-final they had chances to win and on paper they still possess one of the best elevens. Odafa and Kalu are still their matchwinners while winger Khan Thang Paite also returned to form in the Federation Cup. Striker Felix Chimaokwu is also eligible for selection which would allow young Vashum to return to his familiar right wing position. The defence largely looked solid and was only undone by the impressive Tuboi. India’s hero of the 2009 SAFF Cup, Arindam Bhattcharya also will return in goal so Churchill will be aiming to forget Tuesday evening’s controversy with a fine performance in this game.
Churchill don’t have a good record in Kolkata but they did win the IFA Shield Final at Salt Lake earlier in the season so they will take heart from that result and hope to beat Bagan for the third time this term.
Form Guide
Mohun Bagan
Dec 31: East Bengal 2-0 Mohun Bagan
Dec 26: Mahindra United 0-2 Mohun Bagan
Dec 23: Chirag United 0-0 Mohun Bagan
Dec 21: Mohun Bagan 4-1 Mohammedan Sporting
Nov 13: Pune FC 1-3 Mohun Bagan
Churchill Brothers
Dec 30: Churchill Brothers 0-1 Shillong Lajong
Dec 26: Churchill Brothers 2-0 Sporting Clube de Goa
Dec 23: Mumbai FC 0-1 Churchill Brothers
Dec 21: Churchill Brothers 3-0 HAL Nov
13: Churchill Brothers 2-0 Chirag United
Team News
Mohun Bagan
The Mariners will be missing defenders Deepak Mandal and NS Manju and midfielders Snehashish Chakraborty and Manish Maithani due to injuries. Marcos returns after sitting out the Federation Cup as only two foreigners were eligible. Japanese recruit Ryuji Seoka and defender Sheikh Azim, who were recently registered for the I-League, are also likely to feature.
Churchill Brothers
The defending champions don’t have any selection problems. Striker Felix Chimaokwu is back after missing out from the Federation Cup while goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya could start at club level after a long time.
Player To Watch
Mohun Bagan – Jose Ramirez Barreto
When Barreto plays well, Mohun Bagan more than often win so the Brazilian will be aiming to be at his best and score his first goal against Churchill since his strike in the Super Cup last season.
Churchill Brothers – Gourmangi Singh
This being an away game, Churchill might not be at their free flowing best so Gourmangi has to lead the backline and make sure they don’t concede which would allow their attackers to win the game on the break.
Key Areas…
The two teams know each other very well so it could be decided by a moment of brilliance or mistake. The midfield battle will be crucial as Marcos and company will be looking to protect Bagan’s depleted defence while Kalu and his teammates would want to exploit that department.
Amoy Ghoshal
For more news on I-League, please visit our I-League Page!
Inside Goal.Com
-
Cartoon: Rio Ferdinand may have the last laugh
Goal.com cartoonist Omar Momani gives us his unique take on the football news of the day...
-
Euro 1996 Legends: Matthias Sammer, Germany
The heir to Franz Beckenbaur's throne, Sammer's excellent displays as sweeper for Germany led them to their third European title...
-
Euro 2012 Trivia: Which team has the fewest combined caps among them?
Which is the least experienced team in Euro 2012? Time to test your knowledge, mate
-
Vote for your Goal.com World Player of the Week
Have your say on who you think should win Goal.com's weekly honour
-
Euro 2012 a timely respite for depressed Spain
With 24 per cent unemployment, wage cuts and little hope for improvement in the short term, the continental competition will at least take people's minds off their sad situation