I-League: Lajong eye revenge against Arrows

Shillong, Jan 7 : Shillong Lajong FC will be out for revenge when they take on Indian Arrows in an I-League match at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.

After suffering an humbling 0-3 defeat at the hands of the Arrows in their first meeting, the Lajong will be heading into the game with renewed determination after their goalless draw against Chennai City FC on Friday.

Having beaten Shillong Lajong in their previous encounter, it will be interesting to see how Arrows handle themselves against Lajong after two back to back losses against East Bengal and I-League debutants Neroca FC.

On being asked about Lajong's game plan for Monday's match, coach Bobby Nongbet said: "We will have to play well and be confident. They are a very good team".

"We should have won Friday's match against Chennai City FC and we need to improve our finishing. We are ready for the match. It is a must-win game for us tomorrow," he added.

Asked if any changes will be made to to the starting line-up for Monday's match, Nongbet replied: "We will have to see what happens tomorrow."

Indian Arrows coach Luis Norton de Matos contemplated that it'll be another 'close game' for his team.

"It is always a close game to us. We know that when we play any game in the I-League, we are never favourites as we have a very young team. We do not have any foreign players but we have proved that if we play with the concentration needed we can achieve good results.

"We play the game for the love of the game. We try to play well and get the experience that we need. If we lose a few matches, it's also a good thing for us because we learn from our mistakes," he said.

"All games are different and the challenge for us tomorrow will be the artificial turf and the fact that Shillong Lajong will be heading into the game with an aim to make up for the loss they suffered against us in the last game.

"I am very happy with how the team has performed so far because Indian players are very good at playing in the I-League. I am not worried about the results even though I did not come here to lose. Our challenge is not to win but to gain experience," he added.

On being asked if there will be any changes in the team for Monday's match, Matos replied: "Of course there will be but I will not talk about that. You will see tomorrow."