India: I-League: Churchill to take on Pune FC in crucial tie

Churchill Brothers will take on Pune FC on Friday

PTI

Vasco: Fresh from their win against Warriors FC of Singapore in the AFC Cup, title aspirant Churchill Brothers will look to carry forward their winning momentum when they meet Pune FC in the 23rd round of the I-League here on Friday.

Churchill Brothers are at the top with 44 points from 21 matches, two points ahead of East Bengal. They were held by ONGC and Salgaocar in their last two matches.

But the win against Warriors, despite the absence of some key players, have given them the boost ahead of the match against Pune, who are on a high after a win against defending Champion Dempo FC.

Sunil Chhetri played a stellar role in the win against Warriors and coach Mariano Dias is hoping to see a repeat act from the India captain.

Dias said, "It`s a crucial match and we need to collect full points against Pune FC who are playing well and are the dark horse to win the title. We have a full squad at our disposal except Roberto Silva who is out of action for the next three week, but that should not worry us as we have players who can fill his gap."

Pune FC, who have come here beating Dempo, are looking to repeat the performance.

They are placed third with 37 points from 20 matches.

"The boys showed the right attitude to get a good result. We dominated the match and moved the ball well and were good in all departments defensively and going forward as well," Pune FC coach Derrick Pereira said.

"Playing against Churchill Brothers at home is tough who are looking to win the title. But the way our team is playing we have a good chance to upset Churchill`s chance to win the title," Pereira added.