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In their first game of Phase 2 of the 2021-22 I-League season, Indian Arrows will square off against TRAU FC at the Kalyani Stadium on Friday. The two clubs finished twelfth and ninth in the regular season, respectively, and were separated by three points.
The AIFF developmental side ended the regular season on a high after a victory against Kenkre FC in the penultimate game and a fighting loss against Churchill Brothers SC in the final match. Indian Arrows goalkeeping coach Abhijit Mondal believes that his boys are ready for the challenge. Mondal said:
"This is a crucial phase for us as we will be playing five matches in 13 days. We need to be very careful but we are very confident. We are going match by match. Preparations have been going well and we are looking forward to the next game."
Asked by Sportskeeda about how the Arrows will approach their upcoming matches in Phase 2, Abhijit Mondal said that they are looking at the upcoming matches as an opportunity to gain three points. He added:
"We are looking at the upcoming games as a possibility to gain three points. We'll face teams who we've already played against earlier in the season. The first round of matches was a bit of a surprise but now we know what to expect from the opponents. Now the coaches who are tactically strong will thrive."
Indian Arrows and TRAU FC played out a draw at the start of the season
Indian Arrows squared off against TRAU FC earlier in their first game of the season and the tie ended in a goalless stalemate. The goalkeeping coach expects a similar game but underlined that the Arrows will be opting for some changes this time around.
Mondal also lauded their upcoming opposition and head coach Nandakumar Singh. The Indian Arrows coach said that the TRAU FC boss is a very good coach and hence he expects a great fight tomorrow. Mondal said:
"TRAU are a very experienced team and performed very well last season. Both teams like to build from the back. We really respect coach L. Nandakumar Singh. He was very close to winning the championship last season. They have some very good foreign players in their team as well and it is an exciting game to look forward to."
