Mohammedan Sporting Club Media
KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club faces a daunting task on Wednesday when they take on Dempo SC in a final round encounter of the Second Division League.
The game at Fatorda Stadium promises to be an intense battle involving high stakes. If Mohammedan SC fails to win the match then they will be out of the race for promotion to the Hero I-League while a win for Dempo almost guarantee them a place in the top-flight.
“We are not looking at the table right now. What we have to do is just keep winning. It’s not an easy task but certainly achievable,” said Mohammedan SC coach Subrata Bhattacharya Jr.
Both teams head into the game coming off solid wins. While Mohammedan SC beat Lonestar Kashmir FC 1-0 on Sunday Dempo beat Gangtok Himalayan SC 3-0 a week ago. However, the match against Dempo will be Mohammedan SC’s third in last 7 days whereas Dempo playing their first in the same duration.
Mohammedan SC who are unbeaten in their last five and will be keen to maintain momentum. However, the task at hand will not be easy for the Black Panthers as they head into the most important fixture of their entire campaign without James Moga who is unavailable for remaining matches due to a 4-match suspension.
Ajay Singh, who scored the winner against Lonestar Kashmir FC, will be the man on whom the team will rely for goals in Moga’s absence.
“This is the most crucial game for us, players know the consequences if we don’t win tomorrow and they are eager to give their best effort.” Coach Bhattacharya added.
The last time when these two teams faced off in Kolkata the match ended in a goalless stalemate despite Mohammedan SC dominating much of the proceedings.
Dempo, on the other hand, are on a 4-match winning streak will depend on Felix Chidi Odili to break through the Mohammedan defence. The Nigerian will be joined by the India international Holicharan Narzary while the likes of Romeo Fernandes, Mandar Rao Dessai and Jewel Raja and Germanpreet Singh will supply them from midfield.
The defence will be led by Chika Wali alongside Mohammed Ali with Debabrata Roy and Shallum Pires starting as wing-backs. Dempo skipper Laxmikant Kattimani will stand guard under the bar who kept clean sheets in the last five matches.
On the team news front, Mohammedan SC have travelled to Goa with the same 18-member squad from the previous match.
The match at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda kicks-off at 4.00 pm on Wednesday.
