I-League: Saighani boost for Aizawl before Neroca clash

Representational pictureNeroca FC would like to provisionally return to the top of the table with a win over reigning champions Aizawl FC when the two sides cross swords in an ILeague North East derby at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium here on Saturday Late on Friday night Aizawl fretting over the availability of star defender Masih Saighani received positive news when he got the Protected Area Permit PAP required for Afghan nationals to enter the state of ManipurMasih comes tomorrow morning and will play the match straight away He got the permit I am relieved just a little bit as we still will be having only one central back Aizawls Portuguese coach Paulo Menezes told IANS The 31yearold Saighani meanwhile had landed here on Wednesday with his team but he was initially not allowed to leave the airport and enter Imphal cityBut after the intervention of the Neroca FC owner he was allowed to spend the night at the team hotel with special permission He left Imphal on Thursday morning and was waiting for the clearance in Guwahati The match is scheduled to start at 2 pm and he is expected to straight away take part in the afternoon kickoff at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium Neroca meanwhile have so far defied odds to stay firmly in contention for an improbable title triumphThe newlypromoted Manipurbased team have displayed slick football under coach Gift Raikhan and are currently placed second in the points table with 27 points from 14 matches Minerva Punjab FC another surprise overachiever are two points clear of Neroca and have played a game less As they do not play until Tuesday at home against East Bengal Neroca could well pip them in the seesaw battle between the two new faces of the countrys top divisionThe odds are heavily in favour of Neroca to beat lowly Aizawl who have looked anything but the holders this season After realising their own fairytale story last term the Mizorambased side have struggled to replicate their success with key players leaving the outfit for greener pasturesThe recent wins that Neroca have picked against Churchill Brothers and more recently Gokulam Kerala FC are a boost for the club having recovered from two backtoback losses against Minerva and Shillong Lajong Felix Chidi 5 and Subhash Singh 3 have been the top scorers for the club Nedo Turkovic has been deemed more effective coming off the bench accordingly to Akhlidin Israilov who has recently fallen out of favour in coach Raikhans plans Right winger Pritam Singh has proven himself with his performances while the team revolves around Aryn Williams and Fabien Vorbe in midfield and Varney Kallon in the heart of the defenceWe are under extra pressure as the last four matches are upon us now and all of them will be highoctane Neroca FC coach Raikhan told IANS ahead of the tie Without pressure there is no fun We will fight together and football is all about pressure For these four matches we have to prepare well and we must win If we dont win we dont stand a chance he added For Neroca Australian midfielder Williams is injured He is out We have lot of options open Raikhan said Aizawl placed sixth in the table have been winless in their last five outings their latest reversal coming at the hands of the rejuvenated Churchill Brothers on the roadWe were good in that match and I am happy with the performance We will look to carry forward the momentum Aizawls Portuguese coach Paulo Menezes told IANS on the eve of the game To further compound the visitors problems Aizawl have injuries and suspensions to key players especially at the heart of their defence We dont have a proper centre back ahead of the game Thank God that we have Masih Saighani now But still he is only one central defender so it is a big problem CLalrosanga is suspended Kareem Omolaja is injured since long and also Lalriatrenga the coach added We will try to find a fix and thats not a problem We will at the end of the day play 11 against 11 he added Kareem picked up a knock in Aizawls 12 home defeat to Neroca in the reverse fixture and has been ruled out of the season All in all it would be an uphill task for Aizawl to overcome a strong Neroca challenge in their own lair more so with so much limitationsCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go