Indian Arrows take on Shillong Lajong in I-League (Preview)

Indian Arrows and Shillong Lajong FC will look to shrug off their last defeats when they face-off in an I-League clash at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Tuesday afternoon.

Indian Arrows, after their stupendous 3-0 win against Chennai City FC in their opening fixture, have suffered three consecutive defeats in the league but assistant coach Floyd Pinto feels these were just important lessons to learn from.

"Although we're coming to this game at the back of a few defeats, tomorrow we're going to start afresh. We would like to reiterate that those defeats always teach us some important lessons. We have to gather those and execute in the right way," Pinto said the pre-match press conference.

"We are aware of earlier defeats but if you see our matches, our opponents could not run a riot against us. Yes, we conceded silly goals which cost us the matches but they have been very closely-fought contests until now."

He also stressed that the "developmental process" is quintessential for these boys than the "results" in the long run.

"Yes, results are what we play for but for these boys, the playing time and experience is mostly required. They would love to play any opponent on a given day, be it Lajong or Mohun Bagan. Trust me, they're the toughest bunch of boys which I've worked with so far. They've endured a lot and they're learning every day," he said.

Lajong are coming at the back of a slender defeat against Neroca FC on their home ground but coach Bobby Nongbet feels it was nothing but an unlucky affair.

"We were the better team on the pitch but unfortunately we ended up on the losing side. It happens in football and you have to move on. We're here and were thinking nothing less than a win tomorrow," Nongbet said.

Meanwhile, Lajong skipper Samuela Lalmuanpuia is not going to start in the match owing to an injury which aggravated after the Neroca FC match two days ago.

--IANS

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