TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Churchill Brothers Sports Club take on the might of Salgaocar Football Club at the Tilak Maidan, Goa, on Monday, at 5.30 p.m.
Churchill are rockbottom at the moment following Mohammedan Sporting’s 2-1 victory against Mumbai FC on Sunday, and going into the final match on Monday, the defending champions either need a win or they will be relegated.
Certainly not easy without Egyptian midfielder Abdelhamid Shabana who was sent off in the last game. Then there is also the case of defender Sanjay Balmuchu who is also nursing an injury.
If there are any positives, it has to be Churchill’s win in the AFC Cup clash against New Radiant in Maldives and their subsequent qualification for the AFC Cup pre-quarterfinals.
Coach Mariano Dias fielded a relatively young squad but Churchill still managed to get past New Radiant after being a goal down.
“We are without a few key players for the Salgaocar match. However I have full faith in this team and our boys will go on the pitch tomorrow with the aim to get a victory out of the match,” Mariano said in a club statement.
Salgaocar will have little to play apart from targeting the second spot ahead of East Bengal. With Bengaluru FC already walking away with the title, teams like East Bengal and Salgaocar have been left to battle for the crumbs.
Salgaocar can take heart from their first round performance against Churchill Brothers where they walked away with a 1-0 victory, despite the team not being as strong as it is now with the inclusion of Nigerian striker Dudu Omagbemi.
While Salgaocar played an entertaining 3-3 draw against Sporting Clube de Goa in the previous round, Churchill surprisingly lost 0-2 against another relegation threatened side United Sports Club.
