Shankarlal wary of Churchill Brothers' foreign contingent ahead of Sunday's clash

Mohun Bagan will be eyeing full points when they take on Churchill Brothers FC at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening. After a shaky start in the first two matches where they failed to log points, the ‘Mariners’ came back pretty strong in the next two away matches, winning each of them. Bagan coach Shankarlal Chakraborty feels that they have to work very to win the match and feels that their foreigners might create problems for them in the upcoming match.

During the pre-match press conference, Shankarlal said, “I am just thinking about we are going to win the tough fixture tomorrow. The opponent team has many strong points, which I am worried about. We also buy to sort out those hurdles and log full points.”

“The five foreigners they have are quality players and are playing very well. The Indian contingent is equally good. Churchill Brothers are one of the most lethal team in the I-league in a totality, especially with the way they are playing, the way their foreigners are playing,” he added.

The green and maroon brigade snatched away three vital away points in their last away fixture against Real Kashmir FC in Srinagar via the 70th strike from Cameroonian Dipanda Dicka. With an accumulation of 8 points from 4 games, they are in a comfortable position at the moment.

When asked whether they will be under an added pressure being the home side, Shankarlal said, “Big clubs around the world with a huge fan following have a similar pressure, but we do not want to involve those in our game, or else a lot of problems will crop up. So, we will keep those aside and find a way to make the players understand.”

Talismanic winger Sony Norde was not fielded in the last encounter and it is still not sure whether he is fit to play an entire match. On the other hand, shot-stopper Shilton Pal is likely to be fit for tomorrow’s match. “Shilton is fit. I cannot tell you whether Sony Norde is fit to play 90 minutes of football, the physio can give a better idea about the matter,” said Bagan’s coach.

On the other hand, Churchill Brothers FC will be banking on former East Bengal player Willis Plaza to get a positive result from this vital away fixture. The footballer from the Caribbean islands has already scored a hat-trick during their match against Shillong Lajong FC. With six points in their kitty, the Goa-based team is placed at the fifth position of the I-League standings.