I-League: Gokulam Kerala aim third spot, TRAU face relegated Kenkre

Gokulam Kerala take on Sudeva Delhi

After losing to Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) in Imphal, Gokulam Kerala are now in the Capital to face Sudeva Delhi in the I-League 2022-23 at the Chhatrasal Stadium on Monday, March 6, 2023. The match will kick-off at 3:00 pm IST.

Although the first two positions and the two relegated teams have already been identified, all other teams are looking to finish as high as possible on the league table for better seeding in the upcoming Super Cup qualifiers. Currently placed third, Gokulam Kerala will hope for a win that will take them four points clear of fourth-placed Tiddim Road Athletic Union, who will also play on Monday against Mumbai Kenkre.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gokulam Kerala head coach Francesc Bonet said, “We have our objectives clear and we want to bag the remaining six points and prepare for the Super Cup.”

Despite facing a side who have already been relegated, Bonet believes it will not be an easy game since Sudeva Delhi players will be eager to prove themselves. “I have already told my players that Sudeva will want to prove themselves in the end and it won’t be easy for us,” he said.

Sudeva Delhi head coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said: “We want to do our best in the last home match tomorrow. We also want to provide the young players with more exposure and game time.”

The match between Sudeva Delhi and Gokulam Kerala will be telecast live on Eurosport and Doordarshan Sports and streamed live on the Discovery Plus OTT platform at 3:00 pm IST.

TRAU meet relegated Kenkre FC

Mumbai Kenkre FC’s season of despair is coming to an end. They have already been relegated and the last two matches, to be played at home, can only give Akhil Kothari’s men something to cheer about if they win.

Their opponents on Monday in the I-League 2022-23, here at Cooperage Stadium, will be Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU). The team from Imphal cannot finish higher than third in the I-League even if they win their last two ties and everything else falls into place. However, finishing as high as possible would give them a better place in the Super Cup qualifiers.

Both coaches are aware of the little rewards to be had in Monday’s game. In the pre-match press conference, Kothari said, “Our aim is to keep making progress even in tomorrow’s match.” He naturally added, “We’re only focusing on executing our own plans, not thinking about TRAU.”

Leimapokpam Nandakumar Singh, the experienced TRAU coach, complimented Kenkre. “I think they are a good side but unfortunately they’ve not been able to do well this season. I think they started playing better in the second half of the season and were unlucky not to get more points. Hope they are competitive tomorrow and we can see a good match.”

However, he sounded confident about grabbing full points. Singh revealed his No. 1 goalkeeper has still not recovered from injury but otherwise everyone in the squad is fit.

The match will be telecast live on Eurosport, DD Sports and Discovery Plus OTT platform from 7 pm.