Vasco: With their winning run of four games coming to a halt after a daunting 2-2 draw against East Bengal, table leaders Minerva Punjab will aim for a victory when they face bottom-placed Churchill Brothers at the Tilak Maidan here on Friday.
They were leading 2-0 at the half-hour mark but East Bengal’s resurgence in the second-half meant Minerva had to stay content with a solitary point. Although they are comfortably placed at the top on 26 points after 11 games, Neroca on Second are not far behind.
But the Chandigarh based club’s away performance is what separates them from the rest. In seven away games, they have astonishingly won five, while drawing one and losing the other to defending champions Aizawl.
“We have won five away matches and with this good record, we hope to come out Victor’s tomorrow and consolidate our position at the top,” said head coach Khogen Singh.
Churchill however are not the same side they were till the end of 2017. In five games at the turn of 2018, they have won three, drawn one against East Bengal and lost narrowly to Neroca FC.
With few foreign import addition to the squad, the Red Machines have transformed into a team capable of beating every other on any given day.
“Churchill are not the same side that played in the first five matches. After their new foreign recruits, they look stronger and we need to play as a team. They also have home advantage but our boys are ready for the challenge and we are expecting a close contest,” added the Minerva tactician.
Despte the loss in their last encounter at home against Neroca, it was the ‘Red Machines’ who dominated and although the close feared left them bitter in taste, assistant coach Alfred Fernandes assured of a fightback.
“It was very hard to digest especially after the efforts put by my players. But as professionals, we have to recover from such setbacks,” he said.
“We will get few scoring opportunities against them who are leading the chart and have been unbeaten after they lost their only match against Aizwal. It’s our crucial home encounter and we need to collect full points to climb up the ladder,” added the former Goa coach.