I-League 2017: Can Aizawl FC break Minerva's scoring run?

IN AN INTERESTING-LOOKING encounter, Minerva Punjab FC face Aizawl FC on December 27 at 2 pm.

Sitting comfortably at the top, Minerva Punjab has turned heads to them with their fighting spirit in every game.  In five games, four have been wins and one game a draw. Aizawl FC are with one win, one draw and a loss so far.

Aizawl FC have bigger aims this season, with their debut in the AFC Champions League. They meet Zob Ahan FC from Iran in the playoffs next month.

Minerva Punjab FC, in their second year at the top division, have made significant progress.  13 points is what Minerva Punjab had gathered in 18 games in the first season and this year, Minerva are the same number of points in just five games.

Aizawl FC, last season, had consistent performances which saw them lose just thrice on road to winning the title. Aizawl’s best performance was at home. This upcoming game against Minerva Punjab will be a test again after having lost already at home.

Minerva Punjab FC are undefeated so far in this season. The only loss of points has been against Mohun Bagan where they drew the game.

Strengths

For Aizawl, one of the keys to success last season was the ability to score goals in almost every game. In the five games played in the season, Minerva have scored in every game. Of the 12 goals scored by Minerva, Chencho and Wiliam Asiedu have five goals between themselves and Aizawl FC will certainly have plans to contain these two.

Key players

To get back into the race for the title, the champions will surely hope to get back to scoring ways sooner than later. Yugo Kobayashi and Masih Saighani have been important new signings of the season for the champions. There is Alfred Jaryan who is ever-so-strong at the ahead of defence to provide cover like last season.

The match kicks off at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl at 2 pm