SHILLONG: Shillong Lajong will host Aizawl FC in what promises to go down in history as one of the most significant Hero I-League encounters witnessed at the JN Stadium in the city.
The “historic clash” will see Aizawl lifting the coveted trophy if the side from Mizoram can even clutch on to a point from the Northeast derby. However, a loss for the away team will ensure Mohun Bagan seal their second title in three seasons given they win the battle against Chennai City on Sunday.
A victory or a draw will make Aizawl the first club from the Northeast to win the I-League. For hosts Lajong, the match is a means to further assert and justify their “youth development agenda”. Lajong are already guaranteed to finish 5th this season, their best in the I-League so far.
However, with the kind of hype surrounding the match, stakes are high for both sides, none of which want to be seen backing down in the all-important second round Northeast derby. Ahead of the action on Sunday, Lajong coach Thangboi Singto tried to calm the nerves by stating that the game of football should be the ultimate winner on Sunday.
However, Lajong was quick to add that the Reds are in no mood to make life easy for their fellow Northeast rivals. “The stakes are very high tomorrow. I wish Aizawl the best, but it’s important that Lajong do well and we will try to win. People say that Aizawl winning the I-League will be good for North East football, but 95% of our players are North East boys and representing the region is very important for us,” Singto said in a pre-match conference on Saturday.
Singto, who aimed for a No.4 finish this season, also lauded his young squad for a “great show” this year. “The boys are maturing and the results are showing on the field. It’s only in a few matches that we could have done better,” Singto opined.
“Having a squad mainly made up of U-22 players is a positive challenge. The players are mature enough to handle this big game,” he added.
The Lajong gaffer, however, admitted that there is immense pressure going into Sunday’s fixture especially with hundreds of Aizawl fans expected to throng the JN Stadium in support of the away team.
His Aizawl counterpart Khalid Jamil, meanwhile said that facing Lajong on their home turf was no mean task and he will certainly be under some pressure in Sunday’s “make or break” encounter.
“But we have to give our 100 per cent under any circumstance,” the former Mumbai FC coach said.
Aizawl will miss out on the services of Ashutosh Mehta and Alfred Jaryan who are unavailable for the match after picking up their fourth yellow cards of the season in the last game.
Jamil, who believes in taking it a match at a time, added, “There is no change in preparation for this match. We just have to keep in mind that our finish to the season should be a strong one,” he added.
Aizawl have won three and drawn two of their games on the road this season and will look to put the Lajong defence under pressure.
Replying to a question, Jamil said as a coach he cannot allow the stress of the epic encounter to get into him. “The coach has to be under control,” he said.
Fans make it special
Meanwhile, apart from the action on the field, the JN Stadium is also expected to be abuzz with the activity of the thousands of fans supporting both the home and away sides.
Adding spice to the already hyped encounter is the news of at least 2000 Aizawl fans making it to Polo to back the away side.
It will be interesting to see whether the Lajong faithful can match the visitors’ decibel levels on Sunday.
The match is scheduled to start at 7pm.
