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East Bengal are looking forward to continue their unbeaten run when the Kolkata giants meet I-League greenhorns United Sikkim Football Club at Paljor Stadium, Gangtok on Thursday (October 11).
“We are unbeaten in the past 22 matches with 18 wins and four draws. We want to sustain the form by winning against USFC. The match is vital for us as we need to get three full points having drawn our first I-League match,” East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan said.
The East Bengal team arrived in Gangtok on Tuesday (October 9) only to be welcomed by rain and chilly weather conditions. The State Capital is located at an altitude of 5800 ft.
Morgan ruled out that weather conditions would affect the performance of his players. “In fact, our players would love to play in such cool weather as compared to playing in hot and humid conditions,” he said.
The Kolkata outfit need to recover quickly from an exhaustive draw against Sporting Club de Goa in Goa and a tiring road journey of nearly 5 hours from Bagdogra Airport to Gangtok.
“The first opponent for us was the tiring journey which takes its toll on the players. We need to recover early. Four days ago we were in a beach and today we are in a hill station. We have to adapt if we want to be I-League Champions and we cannot look for excuses. We are here to win and if we don’t win, it won’t be due to weather and other conditions,” he added.
Morgan remains unfamiliar with the Bhaichung Bhutia co-owned United Sikkim which is coached by former East Bengal coach Phillipe De Ridder. “I haven’t seen them playing. I realised they got promoted last season but we treat all our opponents with respect. They have the home advantage and their last win against Salgaocar has given them the momentum,” he maintained.
United Sikkim, who stunned Salgaocar 3-2 in their I-League debut, stays keen to extend their winning run. “A victory in the first match made a huge difference for us and freed us from home pressure. We have a home advantage and I believe we can beat any I-League club on our home ground,” former India skipper, Bhaichung Bhutia commented.
“Our main aim is to survive I-League this season and we are counting a lot on home matches to get points. Even a draw against East Bengal will be a happy result for us,” he went on.
Bhaichung, who started his career with East Bengal two decades ago, however, won’t be playing. “I think I will be match fit for our next match against Dempo SC,” he informed.
United Sikkim go into the match without attacking midfielder Raju Debnath who sustained a ligament injury in their last match against Salgaocar. He has been ruled out for almost three months.
The kick-off is at 2.30pm.
