Shillong 18th January: Shillong Lajong will look to bounce back to winning ways when they face off Churchill Brothers Goa in an I-League clash on 19th January at the Tilak Maidan in Goa at 5:30 PM.
A much better team performance is what the Reds need to deliver going into Friday’s clash. They were unable to find the net in their previous game at home and gave up three crucial points to the table leaders, Minerva Punjab, who won the match by a solitary strike from Willaim Okopu.
Goals have not come in plenty for the Reds as they have managed to score just 7 goals so far from 10 matches. The team will, therefore, hope to see Koffi, Aiman, Redeem, Samuel Lalmuapuia and Alen Deory to find their scoring form in the remaining matches.
At the back, Juho Oh did not play in the last two home matches after falling ill but he has travelled with the team to Goa and is expected to partner Laurence Doe who himself returned from a minor injury. Shillong Lajong is currently in the 5th position with 14 points from a total of four wins, two draws and four losses but the team is training hard every day to climb the table.
Shillong Lajong Coach Alison Kharsyntiew shared his thoughts ahead of the game.He said, “The preparation for the match has been good. We’ve been working on our weakness. The players are all fit and we are ready for tomorrow’s match.”
Alison also spoke about the team’s expectations and the opponents, “We are expecting three points. But for that, we have to concentrate and work very hard from the first whistle till the end.” “Churchill is a good side. They have been progressing well as a team. It’s going to be a tough match against them. But we are ready for the challenge.”
Lajong defeated Churchill Brothers by two goals to nil in the first leg fixture of the I-League in Shillong. Redeem Tlang and Samuel Lyngdoh were the goal scorers on the 2nd December night in Shillong.
After this, Churchill Brothers suffered four more back to back losses at the hands of Mohun Bagan (5-0), Aizawl FC (1-0), East Bengal (3-2) and Chennai City (2-0). The Goan outfit finally managed their first point of the I-League on 8th January 2018 after playing a 1-1 draw against East Bengal at home.
Their first win of the season is their most recent game against Gokulam Kerala on 15th January in Kozhikode, Kerala. They won the game by a 3-2 margin, a brace from Kalu Ogba and Mechac Koffi scored the winner. They currently stand in the 9th position of the Hero I-league table, with 4 points.
Shillong Lajong is hoping to make a double over Churchill Brothers on Friday and some good news for the fans is that their new foreign striker from Sweden, Saihou Jagne will likely be eligible to feature in the game on Friday against Churchill Brothers.
