Relegation-threatened AI to face struggling Chirag United

Mumbai: A relegation-threatened Air India, keen to retain place in the elite division of the I-League football championship, will face an equally struggling Chirag United in a round 25 match at the Cooperage Ground.

With just three points separating the five bottom-placed teams, the airmen, who have 25 points from 24 matches with the help of six victories and seven draws and are just above Mumbai FC in the points table, will need to win both their remaining ties to lift themselves from the danger zone. The hosts could not have hoped for a better opposition at such a crucial juncture of their campaign as the Kolkata club, placed sixth in the points table having accumulated 32 points from 24 matches, to has been struggling of late.Fortunes of the two outfits have been quite similar in the past few rounds, as both last registered victories in the 17th round -- Air India against East Bengal 2-0 and Chirag United against Salgaocar Sports Club 2-1. They have struggled for wins having lost three and drawn four matches each in the seven ties played since then.But pressure would be on the airmen to deliver, as they will be playing for their survival, while Chirag would like to finish as higher as possible in the points table. The earlier round match between them had ended in a 3-3 draw. PTI