The Deccan Warriors: Mohammedan Sporting and Sreenidi Deccan will look to continue their winning form as the second round of the I-League gets underway on Friday, in Naihati and Hyderabad.Mohammedan, who had begun their I-League 2023-24 campaign with a 2-1 victory against Aizawl, will be facing newly-promoted Shillong Lajong at the Naihati Stadium, while Sreenidi Deccan, who demolished NEROCA FC 4-0, will take on newbies Inter Kashi at the Deccan Arena.
Andrey Chernyshov, the head coach of Mohammedan Sporting feels that though the Kolkata giants are facing a newly-promoted side on home turf, the Black and White Brigade needs to maintain their concentration levels against Lajong.
“We had a good start in the first game, and that’s always very important when you start a league campaign,” said Chernyshov. “But we know that Shillong Lajong have good players and we will have a difficult match. We have to be serious, maintain our concentration levels, be disciplined, and most importantly, we must play our own game.”
Shillong Lajong are in dreamland at the moment, having been promoted back to the I-League, where they will play for the first time since their relegation back in the 2018-19 season. Now back in league with the big boys, the side from Meghalaya, the Reds will be hungry to revive the glory days of old.
Lajong head coach Bobby Nongbet said, “Most of our players are from the youth academy, with a. few foreign players. We are not as big a club as Mohammedan Sporting, but our boys are hungrier than any team in the I-League. We will run for every ball, and make every second count.”
The Deccan Warriors are one of the favourites to win the I-League this season, and they will be looking to build on the momentum after their big win against NEROCA FC in their opening match.
“We don’t want to change our approach for every game. Of course, there will be small tweaks here and there, because Inter Kashi are a good side and pose a threat, but overall, we want to keep our philosophy intact and play a good game. Our focus is on our own game, and on trying to command the ball in the middle, and of course, to score more goals than our opponents,” said head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto.
Inter Kashi head coach Carlos Santamarina, on the other hand, is wary of the change in playing surface. Their first game away against Gokulam Kerala was played on a natural surface, while their second match in Hyderabad will be played on artificial turf.
He said, “It’s not easy to adjust to such different surfaces, but it’s a new challenge, and we are ready to fight it out against a quality team. I am happy with the fighting spirit that our boys have shown, and we will look to continue that.”
