Solid Neroca face bottom-placed Shillong Lajong

Manipuri side Neroca FC, currently second on the points table, will be up against bottom-placed Shillong Lajong in a return leg I-League clash at the Khuman Lampak stadium on Friday.

The Neroca-Shillong game also marks the beginning of the second and most important half of the top flight football league, with both teams playing their 11th game, having completed the first round of 10 games in the 11-team league.

The winner of the I-League will emerge after the completion of the second round of 10 games for each team.

Neroca are looking a formidable unit now under the stewardship of Spanish coach Manuel Fraile and in particular after the return of key players like Katsumi Yusa, Singham Subhash Singh and Lalit Thapa as regulars in their starting eleven.

Australian medio Aryn Glen Williams has also stepped up his distribution and assist game and with strikers like Felix Chidi and defenders Eduardo, Varney Kallon and Ashok Singh in their ranks and in good form, it will be hard for the Shillong youngsters to stop them at home.

Manuel Fraile displayed cautious optimism in the pre-match press chat, expressing, "We must have focus because this team is now different. Now they are trying not to get relegated, take points. We are in very good momentum now. To be honest, we must get those three points, because our next game is against Mohun Bagan again."