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When Real Kashmir took the field in the I-League 2nd Division in Srinagar in 2016, who would have thought that this bunch of inexperienced boys would go on to qualify for India's Top Division within two years? Well, that's not it, the Snow Leopards, as they are nick-named, went on to defeat the defending Champions Minerva Punjab in their maiden I-League game in Panchkula to catch the attention of the Football Fraternity in India.
Real Kashmir is set to make history again on the 6th of November when the first ever I-League game would be played in the politically volatile region of Srinagar, now clad in snow.
ALSO READ: Real Kashmir's stunning victory over Minerva Punjab
It will be a treat for Indian Football fans as a top division game will be played in snow for the first time in the country.
The previous three training sessions of both the teams were marred with snow, which has been the talk of the town on Social Media after the season's first snowfall on 3rd November.
Danish Farooq and Gnohere Krizo combined well upfront in the previous game against a sturdy Minerva Punjab defence. Ifham Tariq Mir is yet to play a game but he wreaked havoc along Danish in the 2nd Division and can be expected to come off the bench against the Red Machines.
Robertson and Dharmaraj Ravanan's pairing at the back will be crucial for the Snow Leopards to keep a check on Ceesay and Plaza down the pitch. Bazie Armand's dynamic abilities were omnipresent against Minerva Punjab and will be pivotal for Real Kashmir to build up attacking moves up the pitch.
Churchill Brothers come into this game after two draws with Minerva Punjab and Chennai City FC, both on the road. The game in Panchkula ended goal-less while the Red Machines held Chennai City 2-2 in Coimbatore with Novakovic and Gurung finding the net.
Petre Gigiu will have his worries going into the game with forwards Willis Plaza and Dawda Ceesay misfiring. The Churchill defence has been relatively compact led by veteran Nallapan Mohanraj.
Real Kashmir vs Churchill Brothers: Match Information
Date: 6/11/2018
Kick-off: 2 P.M IST
Venue: TRC Turf Ground, Srinagar
Live streaming: Hotstar and JIO Sports on JIO TV App (For JIO Users)
Live Telecast: Star Sports 3
Real Kashmir vs Churchill Brothers: Probable line-ups
Real Kashmir (4-4-2): Bilal (GK), Ravanan, Hammad, Robertson, Katebe, Loveday (C), Farhan, Krizo, Danish, Bazie, Brian Mascarenhas
Churchill Brothers (4-4-1-1): Kithan (GK), Wayne Vaz, Eldor, Plaza, Ceesay (C), Israil Gurung, Khalid Aucho, Nenad Novakovic, Richard Costa, Clencio Pinto, Nallapan Mohanraj
