I-League: ​Indian Arrows look to bounce back against in-form Churchill Brothers

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Goa, January 21: Indian Arrows look to bounce back from their 0-2 defeat to Neroca FC when they face the in-form Churchill Brothers at the Tilak Maidan in the I-League on Monday (January 22) at 8 pm.

Two wins in two against Gokulam FC and Shillong Lajong have helped Churchill pick up momentum after a poor start to their I-League campaign.

As far as the points table is concerned, seventh-placed Indian Arrows, who are on 10 points, have a three-point lead over Churchill Brothers. A win for Arrows will open up a six-point gap, while a Churchill win will mean the two teams are tied on points.

"We come into the game on the back of a defeat and Churchill Brothers come from two victories. They have upgraded their squad. I think they are in a good place at the moment. They enjoy some kind of renewed confidence too," Indian Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos said on the eve of the match.

Matos conceded that his team had made two costly errors in their game against Neroca FC. "As a unit, we are one of the best teams in the I-League. Individual mistakes are our weakness in the I-League but of course, the way to learn is by making mistakes. In the game against Neroca, we played better and had chances to win the game but we lost by two individual mistakes," the coach said.

Meanwhile, a big part of Churchill's run of form is the impact the foreign players have had on the team. The likes of Koffi Mechec, Osagie Monday and Kalu Ogba have injected quality into the team.

"It will be a fast and furious type of football from their side. They are a very promising side and are the future of the national team. I've said that you will see a different Churchill Brothers after our new signings. They made a lot of difference to our team. They add a good balance to our team and I expect them to make the difference tomorrow," Churchill Brothers coach Alfred Fernandes said.

Churchill have clearly set the goal of climbing up the ladder. They are playing their second straight home match in a series of five matches at home.

Indian Arrows meanwhile would be playing the first of three consecutive away matches, which will see them face Chennai City and East Bengal after the Churchill encounter.

"We are trying to pick up points so that we can keep going ahead. If we lose, then Churchill Brothers will have an advantage over us. We lost the previous game, but we're hopeful of a win tomorrow," Arrows captain Amarjit Singh said.

Churchill Brothers vs Indian Arrows

I-League

Live from Tilak Maidan

On Star Sports 2 and Hotstar

At 8 pm (January 22)

Source: AIFF Media