Gokulam Kerala FC take on reigning champions Minerva Punjab FC at the EMS Corporation stadium in Kozhikode on Sunday, in what could be a crucial encounter, with a win guaranteeing second place in the 12th I-League standings.
Hosts Gokulam have collected five points so far from their four games and coach Bino George seems to have built a fighting unit with local players leading the charge and foreigners acting as a perfect foil. They currently sit on fifth position and a win at home could propel them into sole second place in the standings.
They looked scrappy in their first draw at home against Mohun Bagan but ever since coming back against Neroca away from home, they’ve looked better with every game. They lost an exciting encounter to Chennai at home and then completely overwhelmed Shillong.
Indian players like Rajesh, Suhair and Gani Nigam have shown good attacking intent at all times, even when the team is behind in the game. Meanwhile, skipper Mudde Musa is undergoing suspension and it’ll continue for two more matches following the marching orders that he received against Chennai City FC.
Coach Bino was brimming with confidence and rightly so before the game saying, “We got back to the winning mode in the last match at home and played with full confidence. We will play the same way [on Sunday]. There is no fear or pressure amongst my boys. This is a football game and anything can happen. We will surely be happy if we beat the defending champions.”
The champions too have overcome a poor start with the induction of two Nigerians Donatus Edafe and Bala Hassan Dahir into their ranks. Edafe, in particular, brought some serious attacking flair in the game against Aizawl and both seem to have have formed working partnerships with the other foreign recruits like William Opoku and Philip Njoku already, making them look dangerous after a dour loss to Real Kashmir.
A win will likewise take them to the second spot from their current seventh spot in the standings, albeit level on points with East Bengal.
Speaking before the game Minerva coach Munster shared, “we are very confident after the last game. For me, it’s the team who performs not any individual player. They have a mixed bag of results so far and we have seen their game plan.”
The Kerala side will do well to tighten their defense though as they have conceded six so far in the four games and even though they are way ahead 7-2 against Minerva on the goals scored chart, Minerva has only conceded two so far.