I-League 2017-18: Khalid Jamil's East Bengal look to consolidate top spot with victory over NEROCA FC

Imphal: A confident NEROCA FC will look to exploit the home advantage when they lock horns with table-toppers Kingfisher East Bengal in an I-League match at the Khuman Lampak Stadium on Saturday. [caption id=“attachment_4261983” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of East Bengal’s Willis Plaza. Image courtesy: I-league[/caption] It’s going to be NEROCA FC’s second home match following their win over Chennai City FC on 15 December. While the Red & Golds are approaching the game with 13 points from six matches, the hosts NEROCA FC are three points shy having played one match less. Both teams are coming to this tie at the back of crucial wins away from their home and they won’t let this opportunity slip to finish the season on a winning note. NEROCA overcame Northeastern rival Shillong Lajong 1-0 while Kingfisher East Bengal made Chennai City FC bite the dust at Coimbatore, courtesy two strikes from Katsumi Yusa and Charles D’Souza. The Manipur side’s head coach Gift Raikhan said that he has already done with the strategy of Saturday’s match and now it’s time to implement them on the pitch. “East Bengal is a very good team but NEROCA FC is not less, it is completely our credit that we had drawn with Mohun Bagan and it gives us more confident to meet East Bengal tomorrow,” He said. “Tomorrow’s (Saturday) match will be very difficult, and also will be a very entertaining match, the home crowd will witness one of the best I-league matches tomorrow, the team will play like do or die for the sake of the people of Manipur.” On the other hand, East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil said that NEROCA is also one of the good sides of the league but the table-toppers will approach the game as a do-or-die contest. “We don’t think much about our previous matches, we don’t want to recall what happened in our last game. Our sole focus is nothing but tomorrow’s NEROCA FC match,” he said. “This match is very crucial, Neroca FC are also in very good form. Their foreign players are playing some really good football, but we have our own strategy in place to overcome NEROCA FC.”