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Defending champions United SC take on Singapore side Geylang International FC in a postponed Group I match of the 118th IFA Shield at the Saltlake Stadium tomorrow evening at 6pm. With a win or draw United SC would move into the semifinals, while Geylang International would need a win to progress.
All four United SC foreigners practiced with the team but it will be a challenging task for the team as Nigerian striker Ranty Martins Soleye will be missing tomorrow’s match after getting sent off against East Bengal in their last group match.
Interim coach Anjan Nath said, “We are up against a team that has played AFC Cup in the recent past. This will be a tough match for us. We don’t have the full squad available, Baldeep will come into the squad. I have told the players to play for three points, we need to be cautious and also need to win this match, then we have good chance to go to the semifinal.”
Lalkamal Bhowmick was pleased as their team performed well in the last two matches. He said, “The game won’t be easy, but we have beaten foreign team like Busan Sun Moon in the first match on the IFA Shield and we will to take positives from it.”
For Geylang International FC, who haven’t had the best of tournaments so far and were lucky to get a point from their draw against Busan Sun Moon FC, it is the last chance to stay in the IFA Shield competition or travel home after the group stage. So the S-League side is expected to give it all.
