Mohammedan SC have started the I-League 2023/24 with a bang winning five of their six matches so far and collecting 16 points in the process. Although the Black Panthers will not be in action, second-placed Sreenidi Deccan and Gokulam Kerala after them will have the chance to shorten the gap to the top spot. On the flip side, bottom-placed TRAU is the only team with no wins to their name so far with just a point after six games. They are in a battle with Namdhari FC, Neroca FC and Rajasthan United to pull out of the relegation scrap sooner rather than later.
Here are the match previews of all games in match-week 7 of I-League 2023/24:
Saturday, 25 November 2023
Shillong Lajong vs TRAU - SSA Ground, Lajong (14:00)
Shillong Lajong has made an emphatic return to the I-League by staying unbeaten in the first five matches this season including a victory in the last two. The mountainous side sent shock waves by defeating title-contenders Gokulam Kerala 3-1 and backed it up with a 2-1 victory over Delhi FC courtesy of an 82nd-minute terrific winner by Phrangki Buam. The Reds will not let their guard down so easily and hope to maintain their hot form against fellow north-east side TRAU. Especially when the opposition is struggling badly last in the table and this is their fifth straight game at home.
The Manipur-based team are having no luck at the moment and will have to rely on a miracle run of form to bail them out from a crisis like this. TRAU have not scored since the opening day and has conceded 18 times with nine in the last two matches. The 4-0 loss to Churchill Brothers in the last game made it five losses on the spin. Despite being early, Nandakumar Singh and his boys are looking at one possibility if this trend continues for the rest of the season. This will be their first meeting with Lajong at the national level.
Sunday, 26 November 2023
Namdhari FC vs Sreenidi Deccan - Namdhari Stadium, Ludhiana (14:00)
New corporate entry Namdhari FC will also want fortunes to favour them on Sunday as they seek a visit of Sreenidi Deccan, placed second on the table, in Ludhiana. Suffering back-to-back losses to north-east teams Neroca and Aizawl, with the last one being a heavy 3-0, has dampened the joy of their first-ever win in the I-League against Real Kashmir early this month. Achieving something positive against the formidable Deccan Warriors will be a tall task for the side.
The Hyderabad-based outfit is only three points away from equaling Mohammedan SC at the top. A chance Carlos Pinto’s men are not willing to spurn in their fourth straight game on the road. Sreenidi has picked up a 2-1 win against Rajasthan United and a 5-0 victory over TRAU in the last two visits so are bound to feel confident. Facing another side occupying a lowly tenth spot on the chart, a fifth win of the season is on the cards.
Gokulam Kerala vs Churchill Brothers - EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode (19:00)
In the evening kick-off on Sunday, Gokulam Kerala will be desperate to overturn their surprise loss to Shillong Lajong in the game against Churchill Brothers back in Kozhikode. The 3-1 defeat was the first one suffered by Malabarians this season with a lot of decisions going against them on the day. The team that conceded just thrice in the first four matches leaked the same amount of goals in the last match. Still, Gokulam remains firmly in the title race and returning to winning ways will keep them only three points away from the top spot.
Churchill too will catch the two-time I-League winners in third with consecutive wins in the league. After suffering two disappointing losses to Rajasthan United and Inter Kashi, the Goan giants did not slip for the third time as they registered a handsome 4-0 win over relegation-threatened TRAU. Having won the league twice themselves in the past, Churchill Brothers will hope to mount the pressure on the opposition with their last victory at the EMS coming back in 2018.
