I-League: Arrows face struggling Gokulam (Preview)

A rather off-colour Gokulam Kerala FC will aim to revive their campaign when they face Indian Arrows in an I-League encounter at the EMS Corporation Stadium here on Friday.

The I-League debutants are not in the right shape at the moment and their experiment with their roster is continuing.

Veteran striker Odafa Okolie, who has 100-odd I-League goals under his belt, is their newest recruit, but the Nigerian did little justice to his formidable reputation on his debut for the Keralites.

Gokulam coach Bino George did not hide his frustration during Thursday's pre-match press conference.

"Balwinder has chicken pox. He is admitted to the hospital. I have no idea what is happening", he told the media.

The coach also reiterated that the foreign recruits should contribute more in order to churn out some positive results.

"The problem with us is the lack of foreign players. We signed Odafa because it was easy to complete the paperwork. He has scored a lot of goals," George said.

He further added that Arrows boys have a great future ahead as they have their age on their side.

"Indian Arrows are showing a lot of promise for the future. Their possession and passing are all really good. The small mistakes they are committing is due to their age. They will threaten if given space," he said.

However, the young guns who have taken everyone by surprise until now were on the receiving end during their last outing against Shillong Lajong FC.

The Kerala-based side also had the last laugh against the young guns in the first leg played at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. Indian Arrows coach Matos recalled that match as 'a strange game.'

"The match against Gokulam in Delhi was a strange game. They scored the first goal from a corner. Their second goal was from a free-kick. At the end, they got the three points," he said.

He informed that the team is travelling constantly and it might take a toll on the boys in terms of giving their 100 percent on the field.

"For us, tomorrow will be difficult. We are not in the best shape. Since December 19, we have played so many matches, so very short time to recover. It was a Lot of travelling. These are not excuses but reality. It is not easy for these young boys," the coach said.

"We will try our best tomorrow to win. For us, it is important that the fans and the players are satisfied with the way we play. From every game, we learn."

--IANS

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