AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: Even while there are a pair of top-of-the-table clashes in store this week, the big fixture is one at the bottom end and could well seal the fate of a former champion of the I-League. 

Aizawl FC travel to Bengaluru knowing fully well that they are now deep in the last-chance salon. It has been six games since they last won a game, and in that deep and troubling run, they have managed to grab a mere two points. 

If goalscoring was the only measure of a team’s prowess, Aizawl would be firmly entrenched in mid-table, their all-Indian squad relatively untroubled in finding the back of the net. Things change drastically though at the other end, and the side have conceded the second most goals in the league this season. The only team worse lies below them on the table. 

An inability to hold a lead has been the bane to Aizawl’s season. The team has dropped 16 points from winning positions this season. Worse still, four times this season they’ve scored the first goal and still ended up losing the game — most damagingly of course against Sreenidi Deccan when they led by three goals with 20 minutes to play — most recently against Gokulam Kerala, when they conceded the points deep in injury time.  

Bengaluru on the other hand have managed to silently do something no one else has in the league — remain unbeaten in their last five fixtures, taking nine points from them. After a terrible start to the season, they’ve stabilised and are now four points ahead of their opponents. A win could well guarantee safety. A loss on the other hand will drag them back into the mire. 

The week’s other big fixture will see table toppers Inter Kashi take on third placed Real Kashmir. The hosts will hope to strengthen their stand at the top of the table — currently three points — and hit stride as the crucial run in approaches. Kashi’s season has been a study of consistency, where they have regularly pulled through important results, buoyed by their midfield trio of Matija Babovic, Joni Kauko and Domino Berlanga.

While no Kashi player has yet hit double digits in goals, a remarkable 10 members of their squad have scored one this season, showcasing a rare versatility within the team.

Kashmir are on a four-match unbeaten run but also have been guilty of throwing away points on their travels. They’ve played the bridesmaid too many times in the I-League and while a win won’t spark immediate confidence in their ability to take the title, it will put them a step closer to that goal.

In the other fixtures in the round, Churchill Brothers will hope to stop Rajasthan United’s upward trajectory, while also staying in the title hunt, while Delhi FC will hope to stop their slide, even as Dempo erratic form rolls on.