Kolkata: Banking on the home advantage Mohammedan Sporting Club will be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they host Dempo Sports Club in their Final Round encounter of the ongoing Second Division League at Mohammedan Sporting Club Ground on Thursday.
Mohammedan SC’s Final Round campaign began on the right note with a win over Lonestar Kashmir FC in their first game, but things fall apart soon for the Kolkata giants as FIFA scrapped three points from team’s tally before suffering a disappointing 1-2 loss against Minerva Academy FC on Sunday, which makes the game on the morrow a must-win affair for the hosts.
On the other hand, pre-tournament favourites Dempo come into the game on the back of a 0-2 loss against Neroca FC last week, thus the Mauricio Afonso coached side will be self-motivated to go for all three points.
The visitors who have garnered three points from two games will be heavily depending on the strike pair of Felix Chidi Odili and Bevan D’Mello to fire upfront.
Joining them will be the likes of Romeo Fernandes, Mandar Rao Dessai and Jewel Raja who will provide options in the attack with experienced Peter Carvalho is expected to marshall the midfield.
Meanwhile, The Dempo skipper Laxmikant Kattimani who will stand guard under the bar and the defence led by Nigerian Chika Wali and Shallum Pires with experienced Samir Naik and Debabrata Roy on the flanks will provide a stiff challenge for the Mohammedan SC front-line led by James Moga.
Last time when Mohammedan SC beat Dempo it was way back in 2007 and since then both sides faced off five times with Dempo winning three and rest ended in stalemate.
On the team news front, Mohammedan SC will be boosted by the return of team’s top scorer Ajay Singh after serving one-match suspension.