Churchill face Minerva test in I-League (Preview)

League leaders Minerva Punjab FC and bottom-placed Churchill Brothers will fight for vital points when they face-off in an I-League contest at the Tilak Maidan here on Friday.

Table toppers Minerva come into the game following a bitter-sweet 2-2 draw against direct title-rivals East Bengal. The Ludhiana-based side was in a winning position against East Bengal leading 2-1 until they conceded a late goal in the 89th minute.

Meanwhile, Churchill Brothers are still recovering from their 0-1 defeat against Neroca FC in a game where they went all out against the Manipuri side.

"It was very hard to digest especially after the efforts put by my players. But as professionals, we have to recover from such setbacks," Churchill Brothers coach Alfred Fernandes said at the pre-match press conference.

Minerva look to be the favourites going into the game. They lead second-placed Neroca by two points while having two games in hand. A win will see them opening up a five-point gap over Neroca and nine over East Bengal.

One of the reasons why they are in first place is down to having impressive and enviable results when it comes to the away games this season.

Astonishingly, they have won five of their seven away games this season while drawing one and losing one which came against defending champions Aizawl FC.

"We are getting maximum points from away games also. The boys are high in motivation and psychologically, they believe in themselves," Minerva coach Khogen Singh said.

Having Bhutan star Chencho Gyeltshen on the top of his game will be a cause of concern for Minerva but Khogen prefers to stress on the collective team effort.

"One player's performance cannot change the whole team situation," Khogen said while playing down Chencho's influence.

The ever-impressive Bhutanese attacker has already notched up six goals this season along with registering four assists in the on-going Hero I-League.

"Chencho deserves due credit for what Minerva are achieving. He is a player who definitely needs to be marked. We have special plans for him and there are also other ten players to be taken care of," Fernandes said.

However, Churchill Brothers, who have 10 points from 10 games, have shown that they are no pushovers, especially at home. Their 1-1 draw against East Bengal at the Tilak Maidan showed that they can give anyone a run for their money.

Left-back Denechandran Meetei has been a revelation and so is PM Britto. Goalkeeper James Kithan looks to be improving with each passing game.

"Tomorrow my boys will create something special," Alfred suggested.

--IANS

pur/vm