I-League: Lajong to host Aizawl in season's final North-Eastern derby

As the I-League approaches its final leg, Shillong Lajong FC will be looking to scavenge as many points as possible when they take on holders Aizawl FC in what promises to be a thrilling match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.

Shillong Lajong FC and Aizawl FC are currently placed at fifth and sixth spot on the points table respectively.

However, the new-look Aizawl FC who drew with Indian Arrows in their last outing are determined to thwart their opponents and come up on top.

"We do not underestimate Shillong Lajong as they are a very good side," said Aizawl coach Santosh Kashyap at the pre-match press conference here on Sunday.

"However, we will not hold back and will try our hardest to win the three points."

On being asked if the weather would prove to be a disadvantage for his team, Kashyap said: "Actually no, the weather is almost the same as in Aizawl; conditions are almost the same and even Lajong's playing style is almost the same. So I don't think that we are at a disadvantage."

"The foreigners are also the ones to look out for. They have good experience and skill. But we need to stay positive and try our best."

"This is a very important match for us. It is like a final for us and we can't take it lightly. We need to be confident and we need to stay positive in order to win the 3 points. It is a very crucial game for us," said Lajong assistant coach Alison Kharsyntiew on being asked about his thoughts on the upcoming match.

"We have been training a lot these past few days. We have been working on our defence, offence and finishing skills as well as trying to recover as best as we can in order to avoid injuries. We are lucky we have no injuries in the team right now."

On being asked about the noticeably weak defence of the Shillong-based team, Alison said: "Defence is not a problem, we need to alternate between defence and offence. We cannot defend for 90 minutes. We need to take chances and attack as well as try to equalise."

"We are confident for tomorrow (Monday) and we need to stay sharp for the rest of the 90 minutes as a win tomorrow will indeed give the team the confidence they need."

--IANS

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