I-league

HERO I-LEAGUE: Chennai to make final push for maiden I-League title win

by February 11, 2019

Imphal, February 10, 2019: Chennai City FC who have won 10 of their 15 games so far take on Neroca FC in a return leg fixture on Monday.

The game is the final push for Chennai who is looking to win a first Hero I-League title in their four-year history.

The crunch game will be played at the Khuman Lampak stadium and is slated for a 2 PM IST kick-off.

The visitors are on the verge of winning the title as they sit atop the table with 33 points. They can ill-afford to drop their guard thanks to the competitive nature of the league.

Neroca who went off track in their title bid has lost three of their last four games and is placed fifth in the table. They and three other teams still have a realistic chance of winning the league.

Their Spanish coach Manuel Fraile had this to say: “We will be playing tomorrow against Chennai not for the first position but for the best position. We will be playing at home and that is important and we will go all out and try to take the three points. It’s an important match. I think Chencho will score again against Chennai City. If tomorrow Chennai make mistakes and we are in a good momentum and play our style, we might win although it’s hard to play against Chennai.”

He referred to ‘Bhutanese Ronaldo’ Chencho Gyeltshen who joined the Neroca ranks on loan and had scored in his first game against Quess East Bengal.

Chennai City FC has banked on their ‘Spanish Penta’ which also includes goalkeeper Santana. The Spanish Armada has delivered as they have scored 27 of Neroca’s 33 goals so far. In the last game against Indian Arrows, Sandro Rodriguez’ impeccable free-kick helped break the deadlock in the second half.

Here is what Chennai’s Singaporean coach Akbar Nawas had to say: “We hope for a much more better and improved performance against Neroca. It’s going to be a competitive match. We all know how Neroca can cause damage with their strikers. Neroca is known for pace in their attack and counters too, so we have to be prepared for this.”

We may have a cracker of a game at the Khuman Lampak Stadium!

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