Churchill Brothers take on United SC in I-League

Kolkata: Defending champions Churchill Brothers will look for their maiden win when they face United SC in a tough away eight round fixture of the I-League at the Kalyani Stadium on Saturday.

With three draws and as many losses, Churchill Brothers have only managed three goals as they lie only above the bottom-placed Rangdajied United in the standings. Likewise the Kolkata challengers are also out of form as they are yet to win from five matches with last season`s top scorer Ranti Martins struggling for goals as the Goans will look to fancy their chances. The return of Subhas Bhowmick who guided the side to their second I-League title last season, as the technical director will certainly boost the side. Churchill Brothers are currently seven places and six points behind United SC and also ten points off the top. "It hasn`t been an ideal start so far but there is a long way to go and a lot could change between now and the end of the season. Let`s just focus on giving a good performance in this game," Bhowmick said. United SC suffered their second defeat of the season against Salgaocar in the last round thus they will be eager to bounce back and finally end this winless streak. Their Dutch coach Eelco Schattorie does have newly-signed Syrian defender Hasan Al Moustafa available for selection but he is expecting a tough encounter. "I have a lot of respect for him (Bhowmick). It is going to be a very difficult match so we have to be at our very best," Schattorie said. History is against United SC in this fixture as Churchill Brothers have never lost to the purple shirts in the I-League with seven wins and three draws in ten meetings. But the Goan outfit will once again miss their influential Gabon striker Henri Antchouet due to injury. United SC will be aiming to become the fourth team to keep a clean sheet against Churchill Brothers this season and that would give them a great chance of securing maximum points. It`s still quite early in the season but this clash looks like a must-win for both sides.