I-League: TRAU look to stay in top six with win over Sudeva

Sudeva were beaten 0-1 by Gokulam Kerala FC and moved out of contention for the top six. They now sit eighth on the league table with nine points from as many games. They are, however, sure of not being relegated this season.

The I-League is being played in two phases in the shortened season due to Covid-19 pandemic. The first phase ends on Monday, after which the league will be divided into two groups. Group A will consist of the top six while Group B will comprise the remaining five teams. Teams will play each other once in a round-robin format within the groups and points from both phases will be added to determine the league winners and the team that gets relegated.

"Every opponent has their unique qualities. We need to focus on playing our natural game against TRAU. It will be hard to get chances against them. We respect them as opponents, and what they have achieved this season. I am hoping we can get three points and return to winning ways," said head coach Chencho Dorji.

Meanwhile, TRAU recorded a 5-1 win over the Indian Arrows in their previous game. The big win helped their goal difference, and they thus sit fifth on the league standings with 13 points. However, anything less than a win on Sunday would mean that their fate would be left at the mercy of the results of the matches involving Mohammedan SC and Aizawl.

"I am very much pleased with our result from the performance against Indian Arrows. But, we cannot afford to rejoice just yet. We have another hurdle before we get to the next stage. I will be a happy man once we get a positive result tomorrow," said TRAU head coach Nandakumar Singh.

"At the start of the season, I believed that we would be in the top-six for the maximum time and that was our main objective. The players have given their best to stay in the top half of the I-League standings, and I am satisfied with where we are as a team," he further said.

--IANS rkm/qma

( 406 Words)

2021-02-27-21:28:02 (IANS)