Sreenidi Deccan host RoundGlass Punjab in battle for top spot
In their bid to reclaim the top spot, Sreenidi Deccan FC will host new league leaders RoundGlass Punjab FC at the Deccan Arena in Hyderabad on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 2 PM IST.
Sreenidi Deccan’s three-match winning run came to an end in their previous encounter, as they narrowly went down 0-1 away to Rajasthan United. RoundGlass Punjab took full advantage of the Deccan Warriors’ slip-up, picking up a comprehensive 3-0 win against Mumbai Kenkre to go top of the pile on Sunday.
The two sides met each other in the opening round back in November, with hosts RoundGlass Punjab bagging a 2-1 win thanks to two first-half goals from Luka Majcen and Samuel Lalmuanpuia.
At the pre-match press conference, Sreenidi Deccan head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto stated that his focus is solely on the game in front of him, rather than the league table. “I don’t look at the table. We have our goals set, we know where we want to finish in the league, and we know how many points we need to reach our goal. That’s our focus. We will look at the table at the end of the season.
Buoyant Rajasthan United take on Churchill Brothers
A rejuvenated Rajasthan United side will play host to eighth-place Churchill Brothers at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, at 7 PM IST.
Things have changed much in the Hero I-League since resumption in the New Year. Sreenidi Deccan, who had finished 2022 as table-toppers, have dropped to the second place after being defeated at home for the first time, and RoundGlass Punjab FC have grabbed the top spot. Rajasthan United had a role in this major change atop the table because they bottled up top-scorer David Castaneda and defeated the Deccan Warriors last Wednesday here at the Ambedkar Stadium. As a result of that win, the Desert Warriors are currently sixth on the table but can go up to third if they beat Churchill Brothers at the same venue here on Tuesday.
That would definitely act as extra motivation for the home team and Pushpender Kundu’s boys would have gained a lot of confidence from their performance in the last match. They were marginally ahead of Sreenidi Deccan in terms of ball possession and shots on target but could convert a half chance into a goal through defender Aidar Mambetaliev. Even the fact that they defeated Churchill in their own backyard in the first leg is a thing that could make the Goan side uneasy.
The match will be telecast live on Eurosport, DD Sports and Discovery Plus OTT platform
