SHILLONG: East Bengal will play host to Shillong Lajong FC in the 26th and final round of the I-League in Kolkata on Sunday and the Reds will look to secure all three points against their in-form opponents at the Kalyani Stadium at 3:30pm to close their season’s campaign on a winning note.
The North Easterners are in 11th position with 25 points while the opposition, who have been on a good run following their AFC campaign, are in third with 47 points.
In the last five matches East Bengal have won twice and drawn three times, while Lajong come into this game with one win, one loss and three draws in their last five contests.
In the last game of the season, the players will look to give their all in Sunday’s match and end the season on a good note.
Coach Thangboi Singto commented, “We hope to end the season on a high note by getting a good result tomorrow.
“The plan is to play the best team possible,” he concluded.
No matter the result, the hosts are confirmed to finish the season in third place, as there is no chance of them overtaking Pune FC, who are in second place.
They are also ahead of Prayag United, who ended with 44 points after a victory in their final game on Saturday, which they won 3-1 over ONGC.
On the other hand, Shillong Lajong have a chance to end in 10th place, but will need some help from fellow North East outfit United Sikkim.
SLFC, with 25 points, are one behind Mohun Bagan, who take on United Sikkim in Gangtok, also on Sunday.
The Sikkim team, however, are in a bit of a form slump, but may yet spring a surprise.
“We want to finish on a winning note,” EB’s coach Trevor Morgan said on Saturday. “We play at home and will like to continue winning, which will also be helpful as we play the AFC Cup pre-quarterfinals three days later.
“We do not have any major injury problems and the boys are keyed up to give their best and go for the maximum points,” Morgan added.
Lajong are safe from the threat of relegation, which does take some pressure of the players and Singto sees that as a help.
“We remained under the relegation threat for some time but we are now out of it. The players will not be under pressure and can play freely.
“We would like to make a better finish in the final league standings by bagging a win,” he said.
Also in action on Sunday are Dempo, who host Salgaocar, in a battle between the fifth and seventh-placed teams.
While Dempo cannot move up the standings, a win for Salgaocar would see them move up to sixth spot, displacing Sporting Clube de Goa.
Air India (in 13th place) will host this year’s champions Churchill Brothers in Pune.
The Airmen are destined to finish in the bottom two and will be relegated, along with United Sikkim.