HILLONG: On the final stretch, Shillong Lajong FC will take on Mohammedan Sporting at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday at 3:00pm.
After more than two weeks since their last I-League fixture, the boys from Lajong will look to take advantage of that rest period when they go up against the 12th-placed Mohammedan.
The Reds, who are in seventh position on 29 points from 21 outings, have achieved one of their goals of the season, ie avoiding relegation, as they have created enough distance from bottom side Churchill Brothers (19 points from 21 games).
Now comes the business of finishing in the top seven.
“I have been saying that top seven has been our target from the beginning of the season and I will stick to that,” SLFC coach Thangboi Singto said after the last game, which was a 2-1 defeat at home against Mumbai FC on March 30.
“Top five was going to be very tough and it’s so tight as the other teams below us are also catching up while there are some teams above that are not far away. It’s still open but we would like to finish in the top seven.”
Singto, ahead of the Mohammedan clash, described the loss to Mumbai as a source of motivation.
“The loss to Mumbai FC should be a motivating factor for the boys to play well and get a good result against Mohammedan Sporting. We need to play as a team in order to get a positive result,” he was quoted as saying on the club’s website on Tuesday.
Victory on Wednesday will take the Shillong side to fifth spot, dropping Dempo and Pune FC.
If this match is important for the Reds, it is doubly so for the hosts.
Mohammedan have been hanging around the danger zone for pretty much the entire season (their first in the I-League) and they need to make their final two fixtures count.
The Kolkatans will have taken a lot of confidence after defeating Rangdajied United just a few days ago on home turf and will look to repeat that feat against the other Shillong team.
Lajong and Mohammedan met in Shillong on November 2 in the reverse fixture, with SLFC coming through 2-1 on that occasion, a memory that Mohammedan will like to erase.
East Bengal vs Churchill
Meanwhile, in the other match of the day, title contenders East Bengal will take on Churchill in Goa.
The defending champions have an outside chance of avoiding relegation, but need to make their final three encounters count, even if that will prove a challenge against third-placed East Bengal, who have been sailing up the standings with three back-to-back victories.
They are four points off leaders Bengaluru FC (41 to 37) with a match in hand and will likely prove to be a tough nut for the Goans to crack.