Determined hosts aim to ‘paint it red’ at JNSC
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Riding on home advantage, Shillong Lajong FC would look to put its disappointment against Chirag United behind when they take on Sporting Clube de Goa in a Round 22 match of the I-League at the JN Stadium here on Saturday.
Targetting 40 points by the end of the season, every match from here is a must win for Lajong and coach Pradhyum Reddy accepts that there could be pressure on the players to deliver in the remaining matches, each one of them no less crucial than the others.
“Every match, be it home or away, is very important from here on. We are all aware that if we lose tomorrow the 40-point target would be impossible to achieve,” Reddy said while adding that he was confident of a good show ‘from the boys’.
Unfortunately for Lajong, it would miss out on the services of as many as six players including Boithang Hoakip, Zenith Mashangva, Soram Anganba Poirei (goal keeper), PC Lalhlimthara and Lalram Luaha who was booked twice in the last match. Lalthuammawia Ralte will replace Poirei.
With not much difference between the two sides in terms of standings, Sporting still holds the edge as it got the better of most teams in the I-League so far and would look to repeat its performance against the Reds on Saturday. However, with a strong crowd behind and memories of the last home victory against East Bengal fresh in their minds, Lajong’s chances cannot be ruled out until the final whistle. It may be mentioned that Sporting had defeated Lajong 4-3 in their last encounter in the first leg.
With a scoring rate of two goals per match, Sporting would look to exploit Lajong’s defence, which has been in sort of shambles throughout the season.
Admitting that defence is an area of concern for the team, Lajong coach Reddy said that his side’s full-back position has been a weakness since long. “This position has not seen improvement since the team started its I-League campaign 2009-10 season,” he said. Reddy, however, reiterated that Lajong have done well to manage as many as nine clean sheets in the tournament so far.
The Lajong coach is aware of the counter attacking capabilities of the Goan side and expected a tough contest on cards. “It could be a high-scoring match tomorrow and might as well turn out to be one of the most exciting matches (in Shillong) so far in the I-League,” Reddy said.
Sporting on the other hand is likely to miss at least four players, two of whom are injured and the others under suspension for double bookings.
Coach Soibha Ekendra Singh said that “the spirit in the squad is high and the boys are raring to go against Lajong.”
“We would want to get the full three points tomorrow. But we are also aware of the fact that it would not be an easy task since Lajong are a very good side,” Singh added.
The Sporting Club de Goa coach however believed that his boys faced a huge task to accalamatise themselves with the weather in Shillong.
When asked if his boys would be under pressure since they would be playing before the thousands of home fans who would be cheering for Shillong Lajong, Singh said that he hoped the crowd would support the team which plays better football on Saturday.