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I-League Preview: JCT - Salgaocar
Both sides need to win this...
09-Mar-2010 10:27:00 PM
By Amoy Ghoshal
Kick-Off: 15.30 IST, March 10, 2010, Wednesday
Guru Nanak Dev Stadium, Ludhiana
Home Advantage
JCT registered only their second away win of the season in the last round as they edged pasted Shillong Lajong by a solitary goal. The result helped the side from Ludhiana to move upto ninth place and are now only three points off the top half. But coach Parminder Singh will be hoping for a much better performance because his team was quite often second best in Shillong and had to depend on the heroics of goalkeeper Karanjit Singh to ensure three points.
The fact that new recruit Emmanuel Okoro has opened his account will be a good sign because JCT have struggled to score so Okoro will be hoping to solve that problem. The likes of Baljit Sahni and Balwant Singh will also have to raise their game because for many rounds all the responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Penn Orji.
JCT are traditionally very strong at home but this term they have managed to win only two out of seven in Ludhiana. I-League’s only representative from the northern part of the country must improve their home record in order to stay further away from the drop zone and that should start with three points against 12th placed Salgaocar.
Away Blues
Salgaocar failed to make a winning start under Karim Bencherifa despite taking the lead against Viva Kerala. They only returned with a point but it may prove to be crucial at the end of the season as it came away from home. But Salgaocar’s fight for survival will continue to be difficult if they don’t manage to win games on the road. The Goan outfit are yet to win outside their city this season and have managed to score only four times in six games.
The former league champions are unbeaten in their last two but both games were against Viva Kerala so Bencherifa will know that his side have to keep improving. The partnership of Ekene Ikenwa and Manjou Keita is getting better with every game but the duo must aim to be more prolific in front of goal as the rest of players don’t look like contributing in that department. Defensively, Salgaocar have been decent with Luciano Sabrosa in fine form but this away trip to Ludhiana will be a massive test.
Lajong’s win over East Bengal on Monday means that Salgaocar are only one point above the drop zone so they cannot wish for a better time to register their first win outside Goa this term. A point won’t be a bad result but since they face top half teams in their next three games, Bencherifa would pray for a victory in this.
Form Guide
JCT
Shillong Lajong 0-1 JCT (I-League)
JCT 0-2 Air India (I-League)
JCT 2-0 Sporting Clube de Goa (I-League)
Salgaocar
Viva Kerala 1-1 Salgaocar (I-League)
Salgaocar 1-0 Viva Kerala (I-League)
Salgaocar 1-2 Churchill Brothers (I-League)
Key Players
JCT – Penn Orji
Even though JCT have got Baljit Sahni back, Penn Orji remains their most influential player as he plays a key role throughout the pitch. The Nigerian needs to continue with his good form or else JCT might struggle.
Salgaocar- Mandjou Keita
Salgaocar’s joint top scorer failed to find the net against Viva in Kerala so he will be determined to score in this game as his team needs all three points.
Key Areas
The two teams clearly struggle to score goals so the finishing will decide the outcome. Both sides are likely to play for the win as only four points separates them, so the strikers have to be at their very best.
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