I-League: Aizawl faces Churchill threat

While Aizawl is coming of a pale draw against Chennai City FC, it would have a task at hand to beat Churchill, which is looking to dominate the current phase of the league.

Aizawl FC is currently in the sixth spot with 16 points, while Churchill Brothers is just three points behind it.

Churchill Brothers came up with a shock when it beat Minerva Punjab FC in its last encounter of the I-League 2017-18. With that being done, Chruchill now pose another threat at home when it takes on the defending champion Aizawl FC at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Tuesday.

While Aizawl is coming of a pale draw against Chennai City FC, it would have a task at hand to beat Churchill, which is looking to dominate the current phase of the league.

Aizawl is winless in the last five matches, as it looks to get back to the winning ways. It is currently in the sixth spot with 16 points, while Churchill is just three points behind it.

Following the inclusion of players like Koffi Mechac, Kalu Ogba, Eldor Hussein and many more, Churchill is targeting a top half finish in the league table this season, while it is also gaining confidence with each passing game.

“It is my belief that if we had this whole set of foreigners from the beginning, we could have been in the top two and even heading the league table with some distance. In the initial stages of the season, we lost five matches which is 15 points. So you see the recovery we had to make from the five defeats,” said Churchill coach Alfred Fernandes.

Speaking on the backlash between the two sides, Fernandes said, “That (backlash) is always expected, especially Aizawl being the defending champions. Being in mid-table, they will come out hard against us. Playing out a draw against bottom-placed Chennai City FC must have hurt them a lot. We have to be prepared.”

“You cannot compare this Churchill Brothers to the one that played in Aizawl with us. They have improved a lot. It will be a very tough game. We are ready to play against them but we know it will be difficult. They are a very competitive team and they are improving. It is not the same Churchill Brothers,” said Aizawl coach Menezes.

“The chances that we create in every game, it was enough to be with much more points. Our problem is to score. Hopefully, we have a better chance. It’s a chance, it is a game. Even if you play against East Bengal, you just get three points. Not 15 or 16 points. If you play against Churchill Brothers, you get only three points and not more. Or maybe less like one point or zero points. It is not the best chance to take three points, it is just a chance,” added Menezes.

MATCH TIME: 5.30 PM (IST).

Telecast: Star Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD.

Streaming: Hotstar and Jio TV.