Sep 18: Mahindra United club of India is fully charged up for their crucial quarter- final encounter against champion club of Lebanon Al Nejmeh in the AFC Cup home match later tonight at the Capital’s newly floodlit Ambedkar stadium.
Mumbai outfit will keep no stone unturned in today’s match, after losing the final of the Federation Cup from East Bengal few days back. "The Federation Cup final is history now. We are looking forward to the match," said coach Derek Pereira.
"It's an important match for us. I can’t say that we will go all out, but since it is a home match we can't afford to lose," Pereira said. "My players know the importance of this match and are all geared up. I'm confident that they will give their best shot," added Derek.
The match also gives the Mahindra an opportunity to become the first Indian club to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. Mahindra United is only the second Indian team to make it to the last eight of the inter-club Asian competition after East Bengal in 2004.
The AFC Cup quarterfinal tie will have a delayed start and the kick-off is at 9 pm, as all the players of the Lebanese club are observing fasts, since it is Ramzan period. Mahindra will meet their opponent in their away match at Lebanon exactly after a week on September 25.
The last transfer season had surely given double jolt to the Mahindra United club, as they lost their key players Mahesh Gawli, Surkumar Singh and N.S. Manju, who played major role behind Mahindra United reaching so far. In addition, they will also miss the services of Goutam Debnath, Manas Das and Surajit Bose, who got inter-club transfer as latest recruits, but eventually these players have represented Mohun Bagan in the group stages of the competition, and can no longer play in the ongoing tournament for their newly recruited club.
The Capital cricket fans and the Indian footballers will have a surprise guest at the Ambedkar stadium on Tuesday’s match. The Indian team coach Bob Houghton is coming back as a spectator, after he guided the Indian team to a memorable Nehru Cup victory at the same venue last month, and would be watching the match.
“Houghton is arriving on Tuesday afternoon from South Africa specially to watch this match,” said an AIFF official.
India will take on Lebanon in the World Cup qualifiers in Beirut On October 8, 2007. Five Lebanese players among national team are in the present Al Nejmeh squad. It would be a good opportunity for Houghton to watch these players from close quarters.
On the other hand, the chief coach of Al Nejmeh club Nenad Stavric, who took the reigns of the club few months back looked remarkably composed and confident when discussing the prospects at a venue he described as “very good”. “We have a compact side and will play our natural game. We like to play aggressive football, whoever be the opponent, and it would be no different tomorrow,” said Stavric.
The Al Nejmeh coach had high regards for Mahindra United after watching the Mumbai team’s performance in the Federation Cup final. “I think Mahindra has some very good players. I liked No. 4 (K. Ajayan). He is strong and shoots well. No. 12 (Manjit Singh) was good and No. 23 (Steven Dias) works hard. But I don’t understand why Mahindra played its key players in the final when it had such an important match here”, Stavric opined.
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