ESPN previews round 13 of the I-League with Aizawl, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal all eager to keep the top of the table an exciting affair.
East Bengal v Churchill Brothers
Tuesday, March 7, 4:30 pm
Pld - 35, W - 12, D - 9, L - 14, GF - 47*, GA - 43
*Includes 3 goals awarded for a walkover by Churchill Brothers in 1997-98
East Bengal have a had a good week beating Bengaluru and Shillong and they now face Churchill Brothers, a team they beat 2-0 earlier in the season and a team that hasn't conceded both legs of the league to East Bengal since 2004-05. Under new coach Derrick Pereira, Churchill are playing with good organisation, purpose and the creative flair in attack that was intermittent for the first few weeks. Anthony Wolfe is relishing his role as the senior statesman, while Brandon Fernandes has been a good influence in attack. The only thing Churchill Brothers will need to overcome is mental and physical fatigue after having to travel across the country following a hard-fought 2-1 win over Mohun Bagan on Saturday.
Minerva Punjab v Shillong Lajong
Tuesday, March 7, 7 pm
Pld - 1, L - 1, GF - 1, GA - 2
Minerva Punjab have caught the imagination of the Indian football fraternity with their emphasis on youth, and that process has yielded good results in recent weeks, their most-recent defeat to Bengaluru FC notwithstanding. Tuesday's game will also give them an opportunity to avenge a 2-1 defeat to Shillong Lajong earlier on in the season, but the ruthless scheduling of the league means this will be the young team's second match in a little over 48 hours, with a match against Aizawl FC coming over the weekend.
Shillong Lajong began the season hoping to improve on their best-ever sixth-place finish in the league. They have done more than enough already in that regard, with five wins including one away from home proof of how positively they have approached the season, despite losing three matches in a row to start the league. Lajong were the lowest-scoring side last year, but only East Bengal have scored more than their 16 this season. Overall league top scorer Aser Dipanda (9 goals) will continue to hold the key for Lajong.
DSK Shivajians v Aizawl FC
Tuesday, March 7, 7 pm
Pld - 3, L - 3, GA - 4
DSK Shivajians played a game of great energy and courage, holding Chennai City FC away and running the home side ragged on Sunday night. They now have to back it up with a similar performance against one of the surprise contenders Aizawl FC, and that too in less than 48 hours after an energy-sapping effort at the Marina Arena in Chennai. Shivajians have been getting good service from Juan Quero, and the Spaniard will be key to neutralising the Aizawl midfield, which has been their strength area through the season.
Aizawl have exceeded all expectations with their performances this season, but seven of their eight victories this season have come at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl. Coach Khalid Jamil has the personnel to deliver the goods away, but it has rarely come together for the team barring at the Cooperage stadium in Mumbai.
Mohun Bagan v Mumbai FC
Wednesday, March 8, 4:30 pm
Pld - 17, W - 8, D - 6, L - 3, GF - 25, GA - 14
Bagan slipped up in their previous encounter against Churchill Brothers, but with two games in hand, are very much at par with East Bengal despite trailing their crosstown rivals by six points. Defensive woes continue for coach Sanjoy Sen, though, as Eduardo Ferreira and Anas Edathodika have not been able to gel as a centre-back combination even after several matches together. Scoring goals hasn't been a problem for a team that is blessed with perhaps the best striking combination in Jeje Lalpekhlua, Darryl Duffy, Balwant Singh and the talismanic Sony Norde.
In Mumbai FC, they face a team that successfully frustrated them in a goalless draw on February 15, but are in danger of relegation for the first time in their 10-year history as a club. Brazilian strikers Alex and Anderson, will continue to pose questions for the Bagan defence, and that could determine the course of a game that looks one-sided on paper, but might play out differently on the field.
Chennai City FC v Bengaluru FC
Wednesday, March 8, 7 pm
Pld - 1, L - 1, GA - 2
The season's second southern derby will see a contrast in fortunes since Bengaluru hosted Chennai City and beat them 2-0 back in January.
Chennai City have had a few positive performances since then, though they will be disappointed with having had to share points at home against DSK Shivajians on Sunday. Going into the 13th round, they share bottom position with Mumbai FC, and have conceded the most goals by any team in the league, with only Mumbai having scored fewer than Chennai's eight goals this season.
Bengaluru FC showed glimpses of their quality in a 1-0 win away to Minerva Punjab, which also brought up Albert Roca's first away win as coach in all competition since taking over in 2016. Sunil Chhetri has been among goals, but he will need new signing Marjan Jugovic to step up alongside him as Bengaluru will look to keep pace with the top half of the table. With two matches with Mohun Bagan yet to come -- the first installment in the league takes place this Saturday -- they must believe that the title race is not done and dusted yet.
All stats courtesy Gautam Roy, football historian and media manager of East Bengal football club.