Aizawl: Unbeaten at the end of five games, Minerva Punjab will aim to consolidate it’s pole position when they face defending champions Aizawl FC at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday.
One of the only two sides yet to lose a single game (the other being Mohun Bagan), the ‘Warriors’ have so far bagged 13 points out of the possible 15 and head coach Khogen Singh who is well ware of their current position stressed on the need to keep focused on the upcoming matches.
“We will try to continue this form until the end of the season,” he said. However things will get tougher as opposition teams starts to get their compositions right in place but Khogen himself was hopeful of Minerva finishing the league in the same position.
“Our fixtures will be tougher as playing in away matches and I have experienced this as a player myself. Aizawl will be a tough opponent but i hope we can end the season in our current position,” added the Minerva gaffer.
It has however been nothing short of a fairy tale for a team that made it’s debut in top-flight football only last season. From fighting in the relegation battle zones to aiming for their maiden Championship title, things have changed after the arrival of Bhutanese Ronaldo, Chencho Gyeltshen.
The 21-year-old in an interaction with SportsCrunch before the start of the season had talked of his desire to be the league’s best player and lead Minerva to title glory and opined the same at the pre-match conference.
“It is my first season in India and it is quite different to Bhutan. I want to score as many goals possible and be the best player in the league. Lifting the Hero I-League with Minerva is my main aim and I hope we can achieve that as a team,” said the winger.
Aizawl on the other hand have had a topsy-turvy season so far. With just one win, a loss and a draw after three matches, they find themselves positioned ninth in the 10-men table but captain Alfred Jaryan remained hopeful of finishing the season in a good fashion.
“As compared to the last season, we are a completely peculiar side. The coach is different and our styles and tactics are also different. But there are still a lot of matches to be played and I hope we can finish the season in a good fashion,” he said.
It will however take an herculean task to stop Minerva, who have been in a sweet run four winning games.
“We will play as a team and I hope we can collect 3 points,” concluded head coach Paul Menezes.