2014-15 I-League Round 20: The First of Five Rounds This Month
ArsenalFan700
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This is it, this will be the month when champions are made! Can Mohun Bagan keep their lead at the top of the table? Can Bengaluru FC capitalize on a Bagan mistake and ride to their second consecutive victory? Can Royal Wahingdoh surprise us all? What about East Bengal and Pune? And that is not even talking about the relegation race where Sporting Goa are the bottom side here but clubs like Dempo, Shillong Lajong, and Mumbai are not far off from replacing Sporting at the bottom.
This shall be an interesting May for sure!
It all starts off on Saturday when Shillong Lajong host Dempo in what will be a relegation fighter match. Both clubs are coming off 3-1 defeats in their last matches but Thangboi Singto's men will have the home advantage for this match, however, Trevor Morgan's men will be the better side on paper... can the Federation Cup finalists show off their ability on the pitch now?
In the second match of the day, Mumbai FC take on table toppers Mohun Bagan. Khalid Jamil's side are also fighting relegation and will find it tough to save themselves against a strong Mohun Bagan side. A smart man would believe Jamil will just try to go for the draw here but Sanjoy Sen's attack will make that the Mumbaikar's toughest task of the season.
At the same time Sporting Goa will be fighting to save themselves against a relegation free Bharat FC. Sporting Goa will enter this match with a 4 match undefeated streak while Bharat FC will enter this match after defeat to Bengaluru FC at home. Mateus Costa's men will see this match as their best chance to gain 3 points.
The round shall then conclude on Sunday with Royal Wahingdoh hosting Salgaocar. Salgaocar are affectively just a mid-table side while Wahingdoh are title challengers but barely as they have played more matches than all their title rivals. Three points is a must here for Wahingdoh and if they fail to do so then the title will perhaps be to far from their grasps. A Bagan victory the day before would see Wahingdoh 7 points behind and anything but a win would see Wahingdoh be out of the running unless they make up the goal-difference in the last two games.
Finally, the round concludes with other title challengers, Bengaluru FC, taking on East Bengal. Ashley Westwood's men have yet to taste victory against East Bengal and might fancy themselves here in this encounter. Bengaluru FC have recently qualified for the next round of the AFC Cup while East Bengal have crashed out after a wet night in Kolkata. Can Bengaluru FC break the spell East Bengal has on them and continue fighting for the title or will East Bengal have something up their sleeves?
Matches:
2 May 2015:
- Shillong Lajong vs. Dempo (Nehru Stadium; 16:30).
- Mumbai vs. Mohun Bagan (Cooperage Ground; 19:00).
- Sporting Goa vs. Bharat FC (Fatorda Stadium; 19:00).
3 May 2015:
- Royal Wahingdoh vs. Salgaocar (Nehru Stadium; 16:30).
- Bengaluru FC vs. East Bengal (Sree Stadium; 19:00).
Bye: Pune.
Comments
Battle for last position between SCG and Kalyani Bharat will be interesting too. Can Mumbai FC return to their winning form at Cooperage and spoil Mohun bagan dreams?
#SLFC XI - Rehnesh, Tamang, Son, Singh, K. Singh, B. Haokip, Orji, Z. Ralte, Glen, Uilliams, Doungel
#Dempo XI - Kattimani, Rodrigues, N. Chettri, Angus, Roy, G. Fernandes, Lenny, Miranda, Francis, S. Singh, Narzary