SHILLONG: Royal Wahingdoh FC will eye full three points to stay in hunt for the title when they take on bottom-ranked Sporting Clube de Goa in a Round 13 Hero I-League clash at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda on Tuesday.
Currently, the Royals are placed third with 21 points, only three points behind leaders Mohun Bagan while Bengaluru FC is placed second by virtue of their first leg win over the Shillong side.
Fresh from their compelling encounter against defending champions Bengaluru FC, the toughened Royals will be well aware of the opportunity that the game against the beleaguered Goan side presents to the team. A win on Tuesday would take the Royals to the second spot given Bengaluru go down to Mumbai.
Sporting, who lost to RWFC in the reverse fixture, are sitting at only 6 points and are yet to win a game this season.
The Royals, meanwhile, are unbeaten for four games now and come to the tie on the back of victories over Pune FC and the famed East Bengal at home. They also dominated holders Bengaluru in the six-goal thriller on Friday last.
Though it is beyond doubt that the I-League debutants will start favourites in Fatorda on Tuesday, coach, Santosh Kashyap will tread cautiously.
He stated that he will treat the game as any other and his boys will be on business as usual on Tuesday.
“The last time we played against them, we have beaten them but that does not mean we should become complacent…We need to remain more focused against the struggling Sporting Clube de Goa who are capable of beating any team on a given day,” Kashyap said on the eve of the match. RWFC will once again bank on the likes of Jackichand Singh, Densill Theobald and Bekay Bawar to give them an early breakthrough.
The match will commence at 4.30 PM and will be telecast at Ten Action.
Chance for Bengaluru to consolidate in I-League
Meanwhile, with little time for recovery, Bengaluru FC gear up for their third match in seven days as they host Mumbai FC in the I-League here on Tuesday, hoping to break the spell of three draws in the previous clashes.
The home team have had barely 48 hours to regroup following a punishing 3-3 draw with Royal Wahingdoh on Saturday after being twice in arrears while Mumbai would be still licking their wounds from the 0-6 drubbing they received from Shillong Lajong at the Cooperage.
In another game, Pune FC will be up against familiar foes when they host Salgaocar FC in an I-League Round 15 encounter at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune on Tuesday.
Interestingly, all three matches were played on Goan soil and it will be the first time Pune FC will play Salgaocar outside the coastal state this season. Moreover, having failed to register a win in all three games, Pune FC will be fired up to get the result at home. (With Inputs from IANS)
