By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Flying high after the recent victory over Pailan Arrows, the Shillong Lajong Football Club will now face the East Bengal football club at Polo on Saturday.
In the I-League 2012-13 season, Shillong Lajong FC defeated all the 3 clubs from Kolkata at home. The North Eastern outfit won 2-0 against Mohun Bagan AC, 2-1 against Prayag United and 3-1 against Pailan Arrows.
SLFC coach Desmond Bulpin while talking to media persons during a pre-match press conference said that the club will play for a win.
“We will play the match for a win and not for a draw,” Bulpin told reporters here on Monday.
Acccording to Bulpin, if the team is competitive, then the team is capable of beating the East Bengal which has so far performed quite well in the ONGC I League.
However, few injuries in the team is a major cause of concern for the coach as Boithang Hoakip and Lalramluaha Hmar are injured and team hopes for their recovery.
On the other hand, East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan asserted that the team is on a good run and four to five changes has been made in the team. They will be looking forward to extend their unbeaten streak to 9 games this season and to add to that Trevor Morgan’s side have just conceded a solitary goal.
For the Reds, the coordination between Sushil and Friday will be crucial to make headway into the East Bengal defence.
While stating that the team has been performing well, the East Bengal coach said that Shillong Lajong is very tough to beat especially at the home ground since the crowd is totally behind them.
“It will be a tough game tomorrow,” he admitted.
The East Bengal team has brought as many as twenty players in their squad for the all important match scheduled to be played on Saturday at Polo.
It may be mentioned that Shillong Lajong Football Club earlier in February this year had tamed East Bengal 2-1 at polo in the last edition of the I-league.