A struggling Aizawl FC will hope to garner full points when they host fellow northeast side NEROCA FC in the sixth-round fixture of I-League at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl on Thursday.
While Aizawl (5 points) sit on the ninth spot with a solitary win from five attempts, NEROCA aren’t much better off in the standings with six points from two wins in five games so far to hold the seventh position on the 12-team roster.
However, Aizawl will draw inspiration from their win against Sudeva Delhi in front of their passionate fans in their last home game. Meanwhile, visitors NEROCA will aim to bounce back from their fifth-round defeat to Rajasthan United.
Elaborating on the lessons learnt in their last drawn game at Churchill Brothers, Aizawl assistant coach Victor Lalbiakmawia said at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, “We started the first half badly. For the first 45 minutes, we were chasing the game. After the changes during half-time, I think we controlled the game, created chances and in the end, we could have won it. So, after evaluating our performance in the last match, I think the most important thing will be how well we start the game tomorrow (Thursday).”
About their Thursday’s opponents, Lalbiakmawia said, “NEROCA are a young and good team. They have been in the I-League for many years now. Whoever puts in more effort and starts the game positively will win the match. We will approach the game aiming for three points tomorrow.”
Orange brigade’s head coach Khogen Singh said on the eve of the match, “Aizawl FC are a very good side. We are a new team and follow a different approach to the away matches. We are looking for three points and tomorrow, it will be an exciting game.”
Saying that he has an inexperienced squad at his disposal, Singh said, “In every game we are trying to fight and create chances. We have a group of young players who lack experience. Match by match they are improving and soon they will start scoring goals.”
Aizawl part ways with Rozario: Meanwhile, Aizawl FC on Wednesday announced that they have parted ways with head coach Henry Standly Rozario due to his physical condition. Recently Rozario was being treated at a Bengaluru hospital due to some health issues. “On behalf of everyone at Aizawl FC the Club would like to place on record its gratitude to Mr. Standly for all his efforts for the Club,” the club posted from its official twitter handle.
TRAU up against Punjab test: In another match on Thursday, Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC will host Punjab FC in a sixth-round match at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal.
With only four points from five games so far, TRAU are just above bottom-placed Sudeva Delhi and would hope for a turnaround against the in-form visitors, who are unbeaten in four matches and have won three of them to sit on the fifth spot with two games in hand.
At the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, TRAU coach Nandakumar Singh said, “We are coming back home after three consecutive away matches. The boys are very happy to play at home and the morale is high. Punjab are a well-balanced side and among the top teams on the table. We have already faced a number of strong oppositions and it will be a similar experience. It will be a high-intensity match and we will have to fight hard for the three points.”
Kenkre hold Rajasthan United: Hosts Rajasthan United were held to a 1-1 draw by Mumbai Kenkre in New Delhi on Wednesday. Aman Gaikwad put Kenkre ahead before Bektur Amangeldiev equalized for Rajasthan.
