I-League Media Report

SHILLONG: Pune FC may be in a comfortable fifth position in the Hero I-League standings, but it has not been all plain sailing for them, not least in their last few matches, and Shillong Lajong FC will be aiming to give them a real fight when the two sides meet at the JN Stadium here on Sunday.

Although they secured a morale-boosting 2-1 win over East Bengal in Kolkata last week, the Red Lizards lost their previous three fixtures without being able to score even a single goal.

Pune will therefore want to put that behind them, as they also seek to finish the season on a positive note with assistant coach Gift Raikhan, standing in for Karim Bencherifa, who is on “extended leave” from the club.

Lajong, meanwhile, are in eighth position and they know that just one win from either of their two remaining fixtures will guarantee them safety from relegation. However, they are a little thin at the back, with injuries to Jibon Singh, Samuel Shadap and Pritam Kumar; captain Aiborlang Khongjee continues to remain out of the squad, though coach Thangboi Singto informed that he has begun training again. Robin Gurung also played a full 90 minutes in the 1-2 defeat to Sporting Clube de Goa in the last match and he and stand-in skipper Minchol Son will be required to be on their game against Pune.

Striker Uilliams Souza Silva, who has scored seven valuable goals this season, is also out, suspended for picking up his fourth yellow card of the season in the game against Sporting. So it will be up to lead forward Cornell Glen and attacking midfielder Penn Orji to step up to the plate if Lajong are to bag a life-saving three points.

There are no injury concerns for the visitors and Lajong will have to watch out for the likes of the impressive young Manipur striker Thongkhosiem Haokip (seven goals this season) and Darko Nikac (five goals).

The two teams last met at the end of January, with Lajong suffering a brutal 2-5 defeat in Pune. The Red Lizards scored all five of their goals in the first half, with Haokip recording a hat-trick. The result was made all the more painful for the Shillong fans as it was a televised game, but Singto assured that the Shillong fans will not have to witness such a rout at home.

“The team that played in Pune against Pune FC have a different set-up now and we will be more competitive compared to the last match,” he said on Saturday.

Kick-off: 24-05-2015@4:30 PM
Hashtag: #SLFCvPFC