I-League 2018-19: Churchill Brothers out to do the double against Mohun bagan
Churchill Brothers – currently third in the I-League table – will go into the tie as the favourite, having beaten Mohun Bagan 3-0 the last time the two sides clashed in November.
Published : Feb 08, 2019 22:01 IST
Churchill Brothers will look to do the double when it hosts Mohun Bagan in an I-League clash at the Tilak Maidan in on Saturday. The home side cruised to a 3-0 win the last time the two sides clashed in November.
The host is currently third on the I-League table with 29 points from 16 games and will be eager to improve its tally. Debutant Real Kashmir FC is on top with 32 points from the same number of games while Chennai City has 30 points with two games in hand. Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, is currently sixth after 15 games with 22 points.
Churchill goes into the game as the clear favourite and the Goans have been highly impressive in the league and have been prolific in front of goa. The side has scored 29 goals thus far, only second to Chennai City's 33.
Churchill coach Petre Gigiu said,"Theoretically we have a chance but practically it is difficult. In this moment things are not in our hand, we had made our share of mistakes. We want to grow gradually in the next seasons and improve our performance. Khalid is injured he can't play this match. Overall the team moral is not good and they are tired. Mohun Bagan is a good team tomorrow's match will be difficult. "
The fact that at this league stage, Churchill has scored 10 goals more than Mohun Bagan, reiterates what might just make the difference on Saturday.
Undoubtedly Churchill will have Trinidadian striker Willis Plaza and Gambian winger Dawda Cessay to thank for its current position in the league after finishing in relegation zone last season.
The duo has accounted for 20 of the 29 goals Churchill has scored so far. While Plaza has been the more prolific scorer, topping the charts with 17 goals, Cessay has topped his three goals statistic with an astounding nine assists, the highest in the league.
Bagan coach Khalid Jamil said, "We are not thinking on how we can't be the champions. We are looking for positive results, the team has to work hard. We never calculate in our position, we have to think about tomorrow's match which is vital for us."
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Bagan's star striker Aser Pierrick Dipanda Dicka , who finished the last two editions as top scorer of the league, has been far less prolific this season, but is still their top scorer with six goals.
Star Haitian winger Sony Norde, who became a regular only in the second half of the league, has also chipped in with four goals and so has Ugandan Henry Kisekka, but the attacking unit has failed to click consistently.
"Churchill will have to be at their best to put it over Bagan and cannot afford the slight laxity in approach they showed against Shillong. It will be a good game of football at the Tilak Maidan," added Jamil.