I-League Preview: Churchill Brothers SC vs Mumbai FC

The 2012-13 champions, who made a come back after a gap of four years, performed well in the opening match until Balwant Singh's first half strike that gave Bagan full points.

Courtesy: Twitter (@MumbaiFC)

Vasco, Goa: After putting up a good show of strength against Mohun Bagan in their opening match, Goa's Churchill Brothers SC is eyeing their first home win as they take on Mumbai FC on Sunday in the Hero I-League 2016-17 football championship at Tilak Stadium here.

The 2012-13 champions, who made a come back after a gap of four years despite getting little time to prepare for their first match, performed well in the opening match until Balwant Singh's first half strike that gave Bagan full points.

Team's assistant coach Alfred Fernandes, who is guiding the team in absence of coach Joseph Afusi, said though they lost by 1-0, he was happy the way his team played.

"We created chances and deserve a point but our forwards failed to score from a couple of clear chances and wood-work once denied us a goal," he said.

"With Trinidad & Tobago striker Anthony Wolfe available for tomorrow's match it will strengthen our strike force which lacked cutting edge in the last match," said Fernandes.

He said the team is not going to take tomorrow's match lightly as the Mumbai FC is riding on high confidence after beating DSK Shivajians in Mumbai.

"We will try to collect full points in front of our home crowd," Fernandes said.

While Mumbai FC coach Sanotsh Kashyap said he is happy that his team started on a positive note by beating DSK Shivajians by a lone goal.

"Now that we got a winning start we are looking to maintain the winning momentum. Churchill Brothers are a good side and we are expecting a tough battle and hopefully we win tomorrow," Kashyap said.

Churchill turns to Wolfe ahead of crucial Mumbai FC fixture

The fans of the Red Machines will get to see the former I-League champions in action at the Tilak Maidan as they look to kick-start their campaign with a positive result against Santosh Kashyap's men.

The Goan club are still not at their full strength as they are yet to recruit the players in their foreign quota. But there is good news for them as Trinidad and Tobago striker Anthony Wolfe has joined the club and is sure to bolster the squad in the attacking department.

Meanwhile, Alfred Fernandes continues to be in charge of the team as the expected arrival of head coach Joseph Afusi is delayed indefinitely. The Goan tactician is confident that the arrival of Wolfe will give the necessary firepower for Churchill Brothers.

"In the match against Mohun Bagan, we were lacking in firepower. Wolfe is available tomorrow and hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day in the office for us. Of course, it is very important for us as it is our home match," coach Alfred Fernandes said.

The club have also been bolstered by the addition of three Indian players in Fulganco Cardozo, Richard Costa and Quan Gomes but they won't be available for selection against the Mumbai side.

Meanwhile, Kashyap will be a happy man as his side are coming on the back of a morale-boosting victory against DSK Shivajians in the Maharashtra derby. Kashyap's men will be looking to carry on their momentum in their first assignment away from home this season.

"We have shown in our last match that in spite of having all Indian players, against a very strong team, we never defended and we were winning. I believe in attacking football and we'll continue to play my way," Kashyap emphasised.

As Churchill are yet to open their account, coach Alfred feels that the first priority would be to avoid defeat.

"My philosophy in coaching is that a point is a must first and three points is always a bonus. So if they don't give us a chance to score, then we also won?t allow them to score. A point is important first and then we go for the three points," he said.

And Alfred can take heart from the fact that the players who are already in the squad have put in some lion-hearted performances against Bagan.

Skipper Keenan Almeida led from the front despite suffering a bruise on the head while debutant Kingslee Fernandes walked away with the Hero of the match performance.

"It takes guts for a boy to go out there and prove it. He was brilliant and hopefully he can continue with the same vein of form," the Goan tactician said about young Kingslee.

The only doubt for Churchill is defender Adil Khan and Alfred is expected to take a call on the defender on match day while the rest of the squad are available for selection.