SHILLONG: Still looking for that elusive win in the I-League, Rangdajied United FC will lock horns with an in form Pune FC in a Round 7 match at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Compelx in Pune on Sunday.
Reeling at the bottom of the table and under pressure following two consecutive losses, Santosh Kashyap’s boys have everything to play for on Sunday.
Surjay Pariyar, after being mediocre against Sporting on Thursday, might make way for Shambu Mistry, who is eager to show his class under the bar.
In the backline, coach Kashyap will have Poibiang Pohshna, Lamine Tamba, Munmun Lugun, Bhola Prasad, Thomas Saikhom, Pynshongdor Shadap, Pratik Chowdhary and Ambilstar Sunn to choose his best four from.
The Blues went down to Sporting Clube de Goa 0-3 in their last outing and were drubbed by Mohammedan Sporting by a similar margin at home the match before.
That Pune FC has won all its matches at home so far and stands third in the table is no good news for the visitors who will be hoping for an upset win against the Red Lizards.
With the Pune FC attack comprising the likes of Calum Angus, the Blues’ defense will have to be at its best on Sunday. It will be interesting to see what combination of defenders Kashyap uses against Pune FC, and also whether he goes with two or three centre-backs.
Abocha Singh, Laldingngheta, Ho jun Shin and David Nghaite will have huge roles to play if they feature on Sunday, and Santosh Kashyap will hope his boys control the proceedings from the midfield against the hosts.
Rangdajied’s frontline will also have its task cut out against a formidable Pune defense which has conceded only two goals in five matches.
Edmar Figueira, Sandesh Gadkari, Lalnunpuia and Nagen Tamang will all hope to be in Kashyap’s starting XI, and will have the biggest work to do on Sunday, i.e. scoring goals.
Despite all the odds, the Blues, however, can take heart from the fact that the team has played well in patches and is slowly beginning to play as a unit. Moreover, the Shillong side has nothing to lose going into the match.
Even though Mike Snoei’s Pune FC holds the advantage, surprises cannot be ruled out as Rangdajied are capable of making comebacks as was evident from their outing against Dempo SC when they earned a point after being down by two goals.
