AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: One of the keenest encounters in a season is always the local derby. No matter the city, the continent, or the universe, there is no sweeter victory than one where you beat your regional rivals. And the dopamine rush is further enhanced, of course, if this victory comes at the cost of damaging, denting, or completely obliterating your rival’s ambitions.

Dempo have a chance to experience this absolute chemical rush on Wednesday, March 19, when they host Churchill Brothers in the second version of the I-League’s currently oldest derby. There is an argument to be made that the reverse fixture, played at the end of last year was the one that broke Dempo’s high flying bubble and dropped into a deep slump, which they have only recently started to recover from. 

After Churchill beat them in December, Dempo won just one of their next six and lost four in that stretch. Churchill, meanwhile, experienced an early year stumble and have since recovered to ensure they stay within reach of the top spot in the table. 

Now the teams meet at a strange period in time, where both the teams, almost out of nowhere, are riding a scoring high. Between them, they have scored 14 goals in their last game, and conceded twice. Which is not to say, the trend will continue in the derby. There is no reason to believe it will end in a 14-goal thriller. A cagey game with Churchill utilising their smart wing play to beat Dempo’s midfield is to be expected. 

Dempo will hope Wayde Lekay’s dip in form — just one goal, a penalty against Shillong Lajong in his last five — carries on, but hope isn’t all they must carry into the encounter. Even through their slump Dempo’s goalkeeper Ashish Sibi emerged with a lot of credit, and in fact, in what is perhaps an unusual anomaly, saved both spot-kicks he has faced this season. 

Any points Dempo can take off Churchill will not just count hugely towards their own season but also hurt the Red Machines’ ambitions — and their closest title rivals, Inter Kashi will be watching closely.

Kashi are locked on points with Churchill and will take on a slowly rising Sreenidi Deccan later the same day. Any slip up should and will be duly cashed in on by a team that has been a bit erratic with their performances of late.

Relegation contenders Aizawl and Delhi FC will open the round on Sunday, March 16. A win for Delhi may not be enough to save their season, but considering Bengaluru’s recent slip-ups, a win for Aizawl may well save the People’s Club. More so, because Bengaluru face a tough match against Real Kashmir and are coming off a massive humbling of their own. It’s crunch time in the season, and every point may well cause seismic shifts at the bottom of the table.