AIFF Media Team

VASCO DA GAMA: Defending champions Gokulam Kerala have seen hat-trick dreams rapidly moving away from them because of inconsistency. They have won only two of their last five Hero I-League 2022-23 matches and have dropped to the fourth spot on the table with 27 points from 17 matches.

Even in the last match against Rajasthan United, who are fighting to stay out of the relegation zone, Francesc Bonet’s men were trailing till the 90th minute. Sergio Mendigutxia got his scoring form back in the nick of time. Otherwise they could have been in an even worse position ahead of the clash against Churchill Brothers here at Tilak Maidan on Sunday.

However, there is still time to attain their best form and garner as many points as possible. A win on the morrow would take Gokulam to third spot. Then, if other results go their way, the dream could still come true. Same is the case of hosts Churchill Brothers. They are just a point behind Gokulam and they would be third, too, if they beat the guests from Kerala. Nobody can say if the eight-point gap that will still separate them from league leaders, is bridgeable. But one can only think about what is in their own hands.

Bonet’s assistant Anthony Andrews said on Saturday, “The mood is very positive in the camp because we got a good result in the last match and we’ll take our chances here.” Even though Churchill have not been a strong home side this season,” Andrews said, “They are a good side, and we’ll have to be at our best from the very first minute.”

Bonet will be missing from the bench because of the red card he received in the dying moments against TRAU, but Andrews did not think that would be much of an issue. “Our players are professional, and they know what needs to be done. So, the coach’s absence is not going to hold us back,” he remarked.

While the pulsating victory in their last match can give Gokulam a lot of confidence, Churchill’s 3-2 loss to TRAU may have had the exact opposite effect on the Red Machines. More because it came against a team they had beaten 6-1 in the first leg. That is something coach Mateus Costa will have to guard against.

Gokulam are the team that has conceded the least number of goals in this edition of Hero I-League (12) and have the most clean sheets (9). On the other hand, Churchill have scored a lot of goals (28). Only joint leaders Sreenidi Deccan (34) have scored more than them. So the contest between Bouba Aminou-led Gokulam defence and Abdoulaye Sane, Bayi Kamo, Emmanuel Yaghr’s attack could decide the outcome.

On Saturday, Costa drew inspiration from the fact that his side had lost by a solitary goal when they played in the first leg. “We only had some defensive lapses, otherwise we had played well. So, we’ll have to take care that we don’t repeat our mistakes,” he commented.

The match will be telecast live on Eurosport, DD Sports and Discovery Plus OTT platform from 5.30pm.