Gokulam Kerala FC will be playing host to Churchill Brothers FC Goa at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode on Sunday. Both sides will be coming into this fixture on the back of defeats.
Gokulam Kerala coach Fernando Andres Santiago Varela said ahead of the match: “Churchill Brothers is a very intense, tall and defensively organized team. They are very dangerous in the set pieces. Our idea will be to impose the rhythm of the game.”
Churchill has had better fortunes away from home and is the only side to have defeated Mohun Bagan this season. However, its run at home hasn’t been as convincing.
Bernardo Tavares, head coach of Churchill Brothers, said, “In my opinion, Gokulam Kerala is one of the teams that has the best players of the league. They won easily with a score line of 3-1 against Quess East Bengal, they played very well against Punjab and also played well the other games that I saw.”
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He further added: “Marcus Joseph is a very good player and he, alone can decide the game. They have other good foreigners, but also good Indian players who can make the difference. It’s going to be a very difficult game for our team because they are very strong and at this moment we have many important players injured.”
Meanwhile, Gokulam Kerala FC has announced to donate total ticket sales to the family Radhakrishnan Dhanarajan, who passed away recently. Reportedly, legendary footballer IM Vijayan and Indian national team skipper Sunil Chhetri have already bought 250 and 220 tickets respectively to help the cause.
Indian Arrows welcomes Real Kashmir
The Indian Arrows hosts Real Kashmir at the Tilak Maidan on Sunday in another I-league fixture on Republic Day. Both the teams haven’t been in the greatest of forms this year and occupy the bottom-two spots on the table.
Speaking before the match Indian Arrows coach Shanmugam Venkatesh said: “We are a young team and have played well so far in our games. In this break, we have rested well and at the same time, we have been working hard on improving as a team and making the most of our chances. Technically, we are a good side and all the players have the stamina to play the full 90 minutes.”
Real Kashmir FC, on the other hand, has garnered only one win against Chennai City in Kashmir so far while it registered three draws and two losses.
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David Robertson, coach of Real Kashmir FC, said ahead of the match: “We all are very confident that our dominating play will turn in to wins. Luck hasn’t been on our side but if we keep playing and working it will all fall into place.”
“Indian Arrows are always tough to play against. After all, they are the best young players in the country who are very technical and sharp. It will be a very tough game for us.”
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