Minerva and Aizawl seek maiden win of the season

Both teams drew in their first outing...

The first match of the second round of matches in the I-League 2017 will take place at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl between hosts Aizawl FC and Minerva Punjab FC on Friday.

The hosts come into this game on the back of an eye-catching performance against East Bengal, in which the Kolkata giants had to settle for a draw in the 90th minute of the game.  On the other hand, Minerva Punjab played out a goalless draw against Chennai.

Team News

Aizawl put in one of the best performances in the last round of matches and they will be looking to build on the same in their first home game of the season with a fully fit squad.

Minerva themselves earned a good point away to Chennai City in their top flight debut and they too travel to the northeast with no injuries from the last match.

Head-to-Head

This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Man to Watch

Jayesh Rane-Aizawl FC: The talented winger followed manager Khalid Jamil from Mumbai FC and impressed for the club against the Red and Gold. Rane was a key player in many of Aizawl's counter-attacks on oprening day and kept the opposition backline occupied with his pace and trickery on the right flank. With good crosses and an eye for goal he will look to do much of the same against newcomers Minerva.

Loveday Enyinnaya-Minerva Punjab FC: Nigerian defender Loveday Enyinnaya is certain to be an automatic starter in the lineup. With his massive experience in Indian football having played for Shillong Lajong, Loveday can be a game-changer for his team on his day.

Probable Line-ups

Aizawl FC: Albino, Ralte, Kingsley, Lalruatthara, Lalrinzuala, Mehta, Jayesh, Amnah, Brandon, Bayi, Alfred.

Minerva Punjab FC: Ravi, Devrani, Ramandeep, Vishal, Enynnaya, Thapa, Germanpreet, Oram, Rai, Manandeep, Sunday.

Broadcast

The match will be telecast live on Ten 2 from 01:30pm IST.