Panjim (Goa) [India]: The Churchill Brothers are looking to maintain their winning spree as they host Shillong Lajong in their encounter at the Tilak Maidan, Vasco here today.
“The confidence is very high and the boys are giving their best. With the addition of three quality players in the squad, the team spirit is high and hopefully we can come away with all three points”, Churchill Brothers coach Alfred Fernandes said on the eve of the match.
The performances of Koffi Mechac and Kalu Ogba in recent games have aided the team’s comeback in the tournament. They have also added three new players in the form of Alder Hussein, Bektur Talgat and a player from Zambia.
“In three home matches, taking nine points will lead us into mid-table and we can even challenge the best. We are hopeful now because of the strength of the squad with some addition of quality players. I am very confident about our home matches now,” Alfred said.
Meanwhile, Shillong Lajong sit comfortably in the fifth place in the table tied on 14 points with fourth place Aizawl FC. However, they have played 10 games, compared to Aizawl, who have played eight.
Churchill Brothers have played only seven games, and if they win the remaining three games in hand, they will be just one point behind Lajong after 10 games played for both sides.
On the other hand, a win for Lajong would help them keep pace with the leading pack while a defeat could peg them back and allow teams below them to get closer to them.
“At the moment it is too early to predict anything. We go step by step. Every game, we always go for a win. We always try to keep in the top four,” Lajong coach Alison Kharsyntiew opined.
In their earlier bout, the North-eastern side came out on top with a 2-0 win. (ANI)