As we move along into GW 3, we are slowly finding out the depth of this division, a glimpse into who will be there at the top and who will be at the bottom fighting for their lives come the end of the season. We know ‘tis too early to make such judgments, and for now, we will just let the crystal ball do the talking. The division 2 games take place on 19 and 20 November.
19 November
9:30 AM – Athlos United v FC Brunton
Athlos United take on Brunton in the opening game of GW 3. Both teams will be out there looking for a win with Athlos without a win yet. Brunton have been playing with a newfound confidence since their quarterfinal Cup run and will be hoping for more than a mid-table finish this season. Athlos lost their first game and then drew their second, which means another game with dropped point puts a serious dent in their title challenge. We expect this game to be extremely close.
Players to watch:
Saravan Pandiyan (Athlos United)
Mohit Ahuja (FC Brunton)
Crystal Ball: Athlos United (2) – (1) FC Brunton
11:00 AM – Emdee Al-Fateh v C2 FC
The game of the week has Al-Fateh taking C2 FC with the result of this game having a significant impact at the top of the table. Al-Fateh has scored seven goals in each of their outings so far but to expect that against a well drilled C2 FC might be too much to ask. C2 FC was lucky to come away with anything last game, but it was probably real eye opener to the strength this division possesses with more than just one or two top dogs. We expect this game to be close but Al-Fateh will go in as favourites.
Players to watch:
Kiran Bale (Emdee Al-Fateh)
Eric Lahouri (C2 FC)
Crystal Ball: Emdee Al-Fateh (3) – (2) C2 FC
2:00 PM – Titans FC v Mercurial FC
The afternoon kick off has Titans FC playing Mercurial FC. Titans would feel they deserved all three points in their previous encounter, but they need to put that behind them as they look to return to winning ways. Mercurial played pretty well in their last game but could not find that final touch and ended up losing to Sparta. Mercurial might find it hard to contain the attacking threat that Titans posses, but if they hit them punch for punch, we might have an incredibly entertaining game ahead of us.
Players to watch
Anirudh Krishnadas (Titans FC)
Naren Elango (Mercurial FC)
Crystal Ball: Titans FC (3) – (1) Mercurial FC
20 November
11:00 AM – Garden Boys FC v FC Sparta
Garden Boys go up against Sparta in the 11 AM kick off. Garden Boys ended up on the losing end of 7-0 game against Al-Fateh and will want to replace those memories with better ones, a win here could just do that for them. Sparta are coming off a good win over Mercurial and looked like the team that ended last season as one of the most improved teams. This game looks close to call, but Sparta might have a small edge owing to their experience.
Players to watch:
Kuttaiah Chendanda (Garden Boys FC)
Binu NP (FC Sparta)
Crystal Ball: Garden Boys FC (2) – (3) FC Sparta
2:00 PM – Rebels FC v BFE United
The next game features Rebels and BFE United, both had disappointing results last week and need to turn things around. Rebels came into the league with a reputation for playing a high-intensity game but so far have failed to find the balance between the energy and finesse. BFE are still to pick up a point and have conceded nine goals in their last two, something they need to address immediately. Rebels go into this one as favourites, but BFE might just have a bigger point to prove.
Players to watch:
Riva R (Rebels FC)
Abhijeet Negi (BFE United)
Crystal Ball: Rebels FC (2) – (1) BFE United
3:30 PM – FC Kudlu v Diablos FC
The final game of the week has FC Kudlu taking on Diablos FC. Kudlu were impressive in their outing against BFE scoring 5 and conceding none and will be looking to bring the same attitude for this game. Diablos also were impressive against Brunton scoring four goals and looking like their old self. This game has goal fest written all over it with both teams looking to attack from the outset of the match. The defence might take a hard hit in this game, but the result is the only thing that matters.
Players to watch:
Mark Nghaite (FC Kuldu)
Rohan D (Diablos FC)
Crystal Ball: FC Kudlu (3) – (4) Diablos FC
