I-League: NEROCA FC confident of turning the tide against in-form Churchill Brothers

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Vasco, January 29: Title-aspirants NEROCA FC look to turn around their recent slump when they face in-form Churchill Brothers at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Tuesday (January 30).

Gift Raikhan's NEROCA FC suffered back-to-back home defeats to Shillong Lajong (0-2) and table-toppers Minerva Punjab FC (0-1).

In Goa, they will meet a Churchill Brothers side which has won three games in a row and looks formidable at home.

"The pressure will be on both teams. When you go out on the field, both teams look to get the points," Churchill Brothers coach Alfred Fernandes said on Monday (January 29).

When counting the last four matches, Churchill Brothers' three-game winning streak is only bettered by leaders Minerva Punjab FC, who have won all four of their games.

The Red Machines are quickly climbing up the ladder and a win on Tuesday will see them leapfrog Indian Arrows, Gokulam FC and Chennai City and into the sixth place.

"They will come out all guns blazing against us and they will bring something extra tomorrow. We have to be on guard and we are prepared for that," Alfred said, hinting that he could field the same team that secured three straight victories.

As for the Manipuri side, they know other teams are slowly catching up to them. A victory would not only help them to keep pace with Minerva Punjab, it will also give them some breathing space against East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Aizawl FC. EB face Minerva Punjab earlier in the day.

"It is a must-win game for us. There is pressure on us because we don't want to lose the game. If we lose three matches continuously, then it is not good for the future. But we need to go on. We want to win and we will work hard for three points or maybe one point. Churchill are a good team," NEROCA FC coach Gift Raikhan said.

"We lost because of bad luck I can say. Against Minerva, we conceded within two minutes. After that, we dominated the game. We got chances but we could not score. It was a bad game for us. Because of that, the match tomorrow may be very strong for us," Raikhan added.

Churchill Brothers vs NEROCA FC

Live from Goa

At 8 pm (Tuesday, January 30)

On Star Sports 2 and Hotstar

East Bengal vs Minerva Punjab

Live from Kolkata

At 2 pm (Tuesday, January 30)

On Star Sports 2 and Hotstar

Source: AIFF Media