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Sporting Club Delhi face a second stern test on the spin when they host Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in New Delhi, in their Indian Super League (ISL) clash, on Friday.
Tomasz Tchorzs young squad gave a solid account of themselves in a thrilling 3-2 defeat away to Bengaluru FC last week. Delhi showed courage to lead at half-time in the garden city, but ultimately fell short to a late 89th-minute winner. Returning to Delhi, the Phoenixes will hope to pick up their first points of the campaign by capitalising on home advantage. However, they will have their task cut out against a Bagan side that is still smarting from a late defeat of their own at the hands of NorthEast United FC. Every game we are approaching with the same aim, which is to get three points, he said, speaking to the media on the eve of the game, as quoted by an ISL press release. Bagan will be without midfielder Deepak Tangri, who is serving a suspension, but Dilmperis has possibly the best squad depth in the League to worry about his absence. Mariners boss Panagiotis Dilmperis has kept things quiet since his sides loss to the Highlanders on Monday night, with Mohun Bagan SG choosing not to hold a pre-match press conference. With Dilmperis having previously claimed that the "culture of the team demands wins", the pressure is already mounting on the heavyweights. SC Delhi showed great continuity and high-tempo pressing in their season opener. They will look to put a rotated Mohun Bagan SG backline under heavy pressure early on. The visitors possess plenty of firepower in attackers like Lallianzuala Chhangte, Dejan Drai and Lee Erwin, and they will need to be much more clinical to unlock a disciplined Delhi defence. The backdrop to this fixture carries immense emotional weight. On the final day of last season, late injury-time heroics from Mohun Bagan SG secured a dramatic 2-1 win, even though East Bengal ultimately snatched the League crown on goal difference. (ANI)
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