MARGAO (Goa): Mohun Bagan will look to extend their lead at the top when they face Churchill Brothers at the Fatorda Stadium in the I-League here on Saturday.
The visitors have been on a roll by notching up nine wins from 12 games to comfortably lead the table with 29 points, eight-point clear of second-placed Punjab FC.
Their only loss came at the hands of the Goan side, who outgunned the Green and Maroons in a high-scoring encounter in December in the early stages of the league.
“It is only a football match. We will face the game with the same desire as other games. We know that Churchill are a good team with very good players and playing in their stadium is going to be a tough challenge for us,” Kibu Vicuna told AIFF website.
That desire has translated to five wins on the trot in recent times with an enviable five-man attack line of former La Liga and Senegalese striker Papa Diawara, VP Suhair, Nongdamba Naorem, Tajik playmaker Komron Tursunov and Spanish midfield general Joseba Beitia.
Vicuna, who was adjudged to be the Manager of the Month in January, seemed to be enjoying his team’s winning combination.
“Yes, the team, management, fans love it (winning). The players are also enjoying their performance and that’s important. Every game is equally important for us. Our performance against Neroca has given us more confidence and boys are focused to get another positive result tomorrow,” the Spaniard added.
The leadership and scoring prowess of Spaniard Fran Gonzalez, who has scored nine goals so far, will surely give Churchill’s Portuguese coach Bernardo Tavarez a sleepless night before they face the leaders on Sunday.
“It’s been a good run for us. The two wins against Aizawl and Kashmir have given us a lot of confidence, which we will take forward to our next game against Mohun Bagan. They are the league leaders for a reason, so it’s going to be a tough challenge for us,” said Tavarez.
Incidentally, the Red Machines are the only team to have beaten the Mariners this season.
Besides this, they will go into the game on the back of two successive wins. They will also take heart from the fact that they have not been too much behind Bagan in the goal-scoring charts.
“We know that they are now a stronger team than the one we defeated because they have strengthened in some positions,” added Tavarez.
