Ashley Westwood said his side will have to be on full song if they are to take anything away from Shillong Lajong when the two sides square off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Shillong, on Wednesday. Bengaluru arrived in the city on Tuesday morning post a blip in travel after the plane the team was traveling in had to turn back to Guwahati from Kolkata owing to bad weather, on Monday.
“We’ve had a bit of a logistical hurdle but it’s not something that we aren’t used to and it’s not something that will stop us from giving our best on the pitch tomorrow,” said the Englishman while addressing the media.
Bengaluru have made the trip on the back of a 1-0 win over Aizawl at home on Sunday and the Blues would do well to build a momentum given only seven games remain to the season.
Shillong hasn’t really been a happy hunting ground for Bengaluru who were close to registering their first win over Lajong in the city only for the Thanbgoi Singto-coached side to claw back a draw with a penalty. And Westwood reiterated that his side will have to do more than just turn up. “Shillong is a tough place to come to. The pitch here is the worst among all the venues in the country. It’s hard, unforgiving and too lively.
“We’ve been here before, had a horror of a game where we reduced to nine men in the first season. Last year, we were in control with a goal to show for only to concede a penalty and draw 1-1. Lajong have always been a tough opposition and it will be a difficult game,” he said.
Bengaluru won the home leg of the same fixture by a 3-0 margin where a Kim Song Yong brace after a first-minute opener by CK Vineeth did the job.
The Blues stayed on second place on the table after East Bengal suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Salgaocar in Goa and Westwood believes Bengaluru are very much in the thick of things with respect to the title race. “We’re on track and are in with a good shout. We have six wins from 9 games, the same as Bagan who drew three to open the gap. But we have to play them and East Bengal and things are very much in our own hands. It’s tight for sure.”
Shillong meanwhile, sit fifth on the table and haven’t won in their last five games. The game kicks off at 7 pm and will be beamed live on Ten Action.
