Shillong Lajong FC will be out for revenge when it takes on Indian Arrows at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Monday.
After suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Arrows in their first meeting, the Reds will be heading into the game with renewed determination after their goalless draw against Chennai City FC on Friday.
Having beaten Shillong Lajong in its previous encounter, it will be interesting to see how Arrows handles itself against Lajong after two back-to-back losses against Kingfisher East Bengal and NEROCA FC.
On being asked about Lajong’s game plan for Monday’s match, coach Bobby Nongbet said, “We will have to play well and be confident. They are a very good team.
“We should have won Friday’s match against Chennai City FC and we need to improve our finishing. We are ready for the match. It is a must-win game for us tomorrow."
Asked if any changes will be made to Monday’s match, Nongbet replied, “We will have to see what happens tomorrow.
“We haven’t lost any game in the new year and that is an advantage for us. We will try our best to win the three points from Indian Arrows," said Lajong midfielder Alen Deory.
“We will play our natural game and they will play theirs and will just have to see what happens tomorrow,’’ concluded Alen.
Indian Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos is expecting another "close game" for his team.
“It is always a close game to us. We know that when we play any game in the I-League, we are never favourites as we have a very young team. We do not have any foreign players but we have proved that if we play with the concentration needed we can achieve good results.
“We play the game for the love of the game. We try to play well and get the experience that we need. If we lose a few matches, it’s also a good thing for us because we learn from our mistakes,” he further added.
“All games are different and the challenge for us tomorrow will be the artificial turf and the fact that Shillong Lajong will be heading into the game with an aim to make up for the loss they suffered against us in the last game,’’ said Matos.
“I am very happy with how the team has performed so far because Indian players are very good at playing in the I-League. I am not worried about the results even though I did not come here to lose. Our challenge is not to win but to gain experience’’, the gaffer exuded.
On being asked if there will be any changes in the team for Monday’s match, Matos replied, “Of course there will be but I will not talk about that. You will see tomorrow."
Turning point
“We lost the last two games but we are now more motivated and focused. We are playing for a good experience but we will also try our best to win points as we are also fighting for a good result. We Will give our best for tomorrow’s match,’’ said Arrows goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill.
Monday’s match is looking like it will be a turning point for both the teams as Shillong Lajong will be looking forward to wreak vengeance on the young Turks who will fight tooth and nail to come out on top.
The match will start at 5:30 p.m. and it'll be aired live on Star Sports 2, 2 HD and streamed live on Hotstar, Jio TV.
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