AIFF Media Team
NEW DELHI: Following back-to-back victories at home, TRAU are now in the capital to face Hero I-League’s bottom-side Sudeva Delhi at the Chhatrasal Stadium on Wednesday, February 22, 2023, with the kick-off slated for 2 pm IST.
In their previous game on Sunday, Sudeva Delhi were close to pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the season. Up against the league leaders Sreenidi Deccan at their turf, the Delhi outfit led for the majority of the game up until the 70th minute before the hosts rallied to comprehensively win 3-1.
Addressing the media at the pre-match press conference, Sudeva Delhi head coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said, “Games like these happen in football. It is something we have to accept and move on with. Our focus now is on the next game.”
To Chakraborty’s credit, Sudeva Delhi have shown clear signs of improvement in recent games. Before going toe-to-toe with Sreenidi in Hyderabad, Sudeva ran out comfortable 3-1 winners against Mumbai Kenkre in a crucial survival battle. In their last home game at the Chhatrasal Stadium, the capital side held title contenders RoundGlass Punjab to a 1-1 draw.
Sharing his thoughts on Wednesday’s opponents from Imphal, Chakraborty said, “TRAU are a good team. They defeated us 0-2 in the reverse fixture. We have to think and continue the way we have been playing in our last few matches. We have to stop conceding goals, that’s a priority.”
TRAU are currently placed fourth and that’s largely due to their excellent home form. Their recent wins against Churchill Brothers (3-2) and Aizawl (3-1) are an example of that. However, away from home, the Red Pythons have managed to win just two games in eight attempts.
“Playing away from home has been difficult for us, so we have to be cautious,” said TRAU head coach Leimapokpam Nandakumar Singh.
“I have high respect for Sudeva. They have played well, but have been unlucky with the results. Given their situation, I believe they will put up a fighting display tomorrow and we have to be ready,” he added.
Though TRAU had an easy outing when these two sides met in Imphal in the first week of January, Nandakumar believes the current Sudeva side is a much different one with new additions and a better form. Talking about the individuals in the Sudeva squad, the Indian coach said, “Alexis (Gomez) is really good with the ball. His technique of receiving, delivering and holding the ball is great, so we have to be cautious when he’s in possession. Even the young strikers of Sudeva are full of energy. They are fighters, and our defenders will have to be alert.“
The match between Sudeva Delhi and TRAU will be broadcasted live on Eurosport and Doordarshan Sports and streamed live on the Discovery Plus OTT platform at 2 pm IST.
