I-League 2011-12: Chirag Kerala takes on East Bengal

The powers of indian football might have shifted from Bengal to Goa in recent years but East Bengal FC still finds reverence in many keralite hearts. So the Keralites might turnout in number to watch the prestigious bengal club take on the resurgent Chirag United in the 11 th round match of the i-league.Both teams would be fighting for the three points for differrent reasons.With Churchil losing to Pune FC the title race has been blown wide open. Chirag is also under pressure as they are only safe from the relegtion zone in goal difference to Mumbai.

The Chirag team will have to come in terms with a shift of Venue with the Kaloor Stadium Kochi being their home for the rest of the season. Although the stage might have changed Packeer Ali would be telling his team the task reamains the same as they look to build on their first home win against Prayag United in the last round. Chirag would be looking towards their two wide players Ashik and Vineeth for inspiration. Having won many admirers in Trivandrum for their dazzling talent they would now look to please the demanding Kochi public.With Trevor Morgan known for playing a 3-5-2 formations the stage is set for the duo to make a mark in what is undoubtedly their biggest match of the season so far.

Anil Kumar and David Sunday would lead the line upfront with the latter picking up two goals in the last match.Isaac Boakye and Charles Dzisah have done a steady job in the centre of defence so far and would be desperate to keep Tolgay Ozbey and company at bay . Captian Ajayan would play a pivotal role as he would provide cover for his defence and pick some long through balls for the likes of vineeth and Usman.

Trevor Morgan would bring a setttled squad to Kochi even though they had a dissapointing draw against Palian Arrows last time around.Tolgay Ozbey would look to add to his 8 goals this season as he chases the honour for being the top scorer in the i-league. Sushant Mathew makes a return to his homeland and along with Sanju Pradhan and Penn Ikechukwu Orj would make up a very solid midfield .The battle will be won and lost in the midfield as Chirag must be careful not to be outnumbered in the middle of the park.WIth Nirmal Chethri bringing some indian experience at the back,the bengal side would be a tough unit to break down
Three points to either team would play a pivotal role in shaping up the remainder of the season.With the match scheduled to Kick off at 6.30 under the floodlights a good atmosphere is expected at the kallor stadium.A win against the giants of indian football would be a nice little Xmas present for the football loving people of Kerala.

From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Friday 23 December 2011, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.