SHILLONG: The cold, wintry conditions have already taken a toll on visiting I-League club Dempo SC, who have a few of their players suffering from illness before the round 16 clash against Shillong Lajong on Saturday.
The match will be held at the JN Stadium, Polo, at 5:00pm, the last home match of the calendar year for the Reds.
Dempo assistant coach Maraucio Afonso said, as quoted by the Lajong website, “The chilly weather has brought down a few of our players with cold.”
Lajong have to pick themselves up from a monumental 5-1 defeat to second-placed Sporting Clube de Goa last Saturday.
Coach Thangboi Singto said of that match: “They played well in the second half and we didn’t play badly.”
Singto also said he admires Dempo’s brand of football and he expects a tough match on Saturday.
Dempo, on the other hand, triumphed in Kolkata, beating Mohun Bagan 1-0.
However, they will be missing defenders Samir Naik and Shinnosuke Honda, along with Brazilian midfielder Roberto Mendes Silva.
SLFC will continue to play without the injured Uilliams Souza Silva, who has a hairline fracture in his heel, and Cornell Glen will also be absent; the Trinidad and Tobagan has picked up four yellow cards in the season.
The condition of injured skipper Minchol Son will also have to be assessed prior to the start of the game.
In other matches, Mohun Bagan take on Pune FC, Bengaluru FC will play Salgaocar and Sporting Clube host United SC.
Two further round 16 matches, including one featuring Rangdajied United FC, have been postponed until February.
