Eyeing a comeback from its loss to NEROCA in the previous fixture, Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC will travel to Mizoram to take on Aizawl in the I-League on Tuesday.
Aizawl has had a disappointing season with the joint-fewest wins (two) so far. Its latest win arrived in its previous outing against the languishing East Bengal.
Speaking ahead of the game, Aizawl FC head coach Stanley Rozario said, “Winning against East Bengal was a morale-booster for my players. They showed the character, attitude and fighting spirit on the field and worked hard to win the match.
“It gave confidence to my players and I want us to continue with the same positive attitude and try hard to win the match and collect three full points at home.”
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After a seven-match unbeaten run, TRAU has been left reeling following its 0-5 loss in the Imphal derby. A win in the reverse fixture against its city rival last month helped give a boost to TRAU’s season and it has since taken the league by storm, going toe-to-toe against the big guns.
TRAU will be hoping that there are no after-effects of that deflating loss but the team, however, will be without the services of defender Soraisham Sandeep Singh, who was sent off in the derby.
“It is heart-breaking to lose a derby but that is done and dusted now. We have to get back up on our feet and not let the defeat cloud our actions on the pitch going forward,” said TRAU FC captain Princewell Emeka.
NEROCA hosts young Arrows in clash of bottom two
NEROCA will host Indian Arrows at the Khuman Lumpak Stadium in Imphal, Manipur on Tuesday. Buoyed by its emphatic 5-0 win in the Imphal Derby against city-rival TRAU, Neroca will remain hopeful of using the victory as a catapult to climb up the dominions of the lower trenches of the table.
NEROCA is currently 10th and a win against Indian Arrows could see it jump over three teams on the points table. Indian Arrows is at the bottom of the points table.
Neroca’s winter acquisition Tetteh Narh Phillip Adjah said ahead of the match: “Every team wants to win, and our team isn’t any different. We are tenth at the moment, which isn’t great. The derby result was outstanding, but we have to keep working hard. Our focus is now on the next game against Indian Arrows. My duty is to score and help my team to the best of my abilities.”
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Shanmugam Venkatesh, coach of Indian Arrows, said, “Neroca are a very good team and will have a lot of confidence after their big win against TRAU. We will give our best to pick up the win against them and hope for all three points.”
Arrows skipper Vikram Partap has drawn in his fair share of plaudits for his neat displays throughout the season, but the likes of Saurabh Meher and RV Hormipam have been formidable at the back, showing maturity and composure beyond their years.
NEROCA vs Indian Arrows will be played at 2 PM IST, while Aizawl vs TRAU is scheduled at 7 PM IST. The matches will be broadcast on 1Sports, with online streaming available on the Fancode app and website.
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