I-League Media
Aizawl: Come January 13, 2017, Aizawl will host the first match of Hero I-League 2016-17 when Aizawl FC will battle against Minerva Punjab FC in the second game week of the current season.
Both sides have appeared for a match in the current season, with Aizawl FC having garnered a precious one point at the Barasat Stadium in their match against Kingfisher East Bengal last Saturday. Minerva Punjab FC have also bagged a point from their goalless stalemate against Chennai City FC at the JL Nehru Stadium in Chennai last Sunday.
Aizawl FC coach Khalid Jamil spoke of the upcoming match with utmost enthusiasm expressing his desires and hopes to walk away with three points asserting,”I am happy with my squad, and we will rectify the mistakes we made in our previous match.” He also maintained that his side will have to be cautious with every step they take to avoid a relegation battle and be in the running for the trophy.
Liberian striker Alfred Jaryan, who will wear the armband for the homies tomorrow, quipped, “I will try to play according to the role given to me. As a professional, it is my duty to play efficiently before I can start talking about scoring.”
Head coach of Minerva Punjab FC Surinder Singh also expressed his desires to churn out three valuable points tomorrow.
“We will try to win the maximum points tomorrow.”
He also spoke about his boys who are relatively young and inexperienced and insisted that they have potential and that the club is giving the youngsters a platform to expose their skills, “We are giving them the chance to show their potential.” He also added that Syrian international Mahmoud Al Amnah might be making his debut tomorrow.
Simranjeet Singh also appeared hopeful for a win and stated, “We are used to playing on natural grass but the artificial turf at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium will not prove to be too much of a hindrance.”
Many fans will be on the watch out for Joel Sunday who transferred to Minerva Punjab FC after being among the favourites of Aizawl FC fans during his short Aizawl FC stint.
