Real Kashmir and debutants TRAU FC will continue their quest for first win when they clash in an I-league fixture at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Sunday.
Real Kashmir, who had finished third in their first season last year, had a couple of their games in Srinagar postponed due to inclement weather conditions.
The visitors had drawn against mighty Quess East Bengal in a tight opener and they will be yearning for a win in Imphal.
Hosts Tiddim Road Athletic Union FC, on the other hand, have had the proverbial baptism by fire in their debut season, coming up against defending champions Chennai City FC and the two Kolkata giants in their first three games – all of which resulted in defeats.
However, they would take heart from the fact that all three were away games and they improved considerably against the Red & Golds in the last encounter.
“We are excited and ready to go. We are disappointed not to have played more but my team is hungry and ready to get playing again,” Kashmir’s Scottish gaffer David Robertson said.
“Our preparation has been very good and with the long break, it gave us time to recover from injury and work on certain things. But overall we can’t wait to take the field,” he added.
Nigerian attacker Princewill Emeka, the TRAU captain, admitted that his team is under pressure to deliver at home.
“The results need to change. We can’t afford to lose more points. We, as a team, know the situation exactly we are in now and everyone is motivated to turn things around. We can only do that by making sure we take three points from Sunday’s game,” Emeka said.
Kashmir’s beanpole striker from Ivory Coast, Gnohere Krizo and TRAU’s Brazilian front-man Marcel Sacramento will be among the key players to watch out for, in what promises to be a competitive game of football on Sunday.
While Krizo has already opened his account in this league edition with a stunning strike against Quess East Bengal, Sacramento had an impressive spell in the Indonesian league before signing up for TRAU this season.
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