Debutants TRAU host Real Kashmir in their first-ever I-League home match at Khuman Lampak Stadium
TRAU FC, placed at the bottom of the 11 team league, will host Real Kashmir FC (RKFC) in a crucial I-League match in Imphal on Sunday. TRAU have lost all their first three matches, conceding six goals while RKFC have a point after one match. (More Football News)
The 'Snow Leopards' drew against East Bengal 1-1 in their tournament opener at Kalyani and are at the ninth spot.
Real Kashmir were supposed to play their first home match in Srinagar at the TRC ground on December 12.
But due to heavy snowfall that forced closing of the Srinagar airport, their successive home games against Gokulam Kerala FC (Dec 12) and Churchill Brothers (Dec 15) were postponed.
Despite heavy snowfall and a long gap in between matches due to postponement of matches, Real Kashmir have practiced at their home, the TRC Ground and are confident of bagging three points against their opponents, who are debutants in the league.
TRAU's technical director Douglas de Silva, a former star with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, is under pressure to deliver after the team lost their first three matches under the Brazilian's supervision.
Kashmir's Scottish coach David Robertson summed up the mood in the visitors camp aptly when he said ahead of the game: "We are excited and ready to go. We are disappointed not to have played more but my team is hungry and ready to get playing again. Our preparation has been very good and with the long break, it gave us time to recover from injury and work on certain things. But overall we can't wait to take the field."
Nigerian attacker Princewill Emeka, the TRAU captain, did not deny in his pre-game chat that the team is under pressure to deliver at home. He said: "The results need to change. We can't afford to lose more points. We, as a team, know the situation exactly we are in now and everyone is motivated to turn things around. We can only do that by making sure we take three points from Sunday's game."
Kashmir striker from Ivory Coast, Gnohere Krizo and TRAU's Brazilian front-man Marcel Sacramento will be among the key players to watch out for. The match will be aired Live on DSport from 2 p.m.