DSK Shivajians aim to end debut season with a win
Mumbai, 23rd April, 2016: DSK Shivajians Football Club will hope to end on a high when they take on Mumbai FC in the last match of their first-ever Hero I-League 2015-16 campaign at the Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
After the loss against Aizawl FC brought an end to the seven match unbeaten run, the Pune-based club would not settle for anything less than a victory in the Round 18 tie. Currently sat in the 8th spot, the visitors would like to end their maiden I-League campaign with three points, which could potentially propel them to the 5th spot.
On the other hand, Mumbai FC are still in the woods, sitting just one point clear of relegation and would need at least a victory to ensure their safety, unless results across the league don’t work in their favor. The Mumbai-based club boasts an impeccable home form, having not lost any match at the Cooperage, which would add to the size of the task that lies ahead for DSK Shivajians.
The match, being billed as the Maha Derby, will see two teams who have scored the same amount of goals (16) throughout the season take on each other. Pierrick Dipanda leads the charts for DSK Shivajians with seven goals, while Sushil Kumar takes up that mantle for the Mumbai club with four goals.
Talking about the importance of the last match in the I-League, DSK Shivajians’ Coach Derrick Pereira said: “It is a must win match for us. We will need all three points if we need to be a part of the Federation Cup draw. We will work hard and do our best to produce a good performance.”
DSK Shivajians’ debut season in the I-League saw the club go through hardship before finding their feet in the premier football league of the country. They gained one point in the first four matches, following which they registered their first victory of the season, over Mumbai FC, at home. A strike from Douhou Pierre in the first half was enough to seal the match for the Pune-based club.
Reflecting back upon the season, the coach added: “Initially, it was about getting the team going. We started with young players and then had to bring in experienced players like Subrata Paul, Baljit Sahni, Haroon Amiri, and more. We were struggling to get the results early on, but we turned it around in the second leg of the I-League as we had good results in seven matches, except the last one. We believe that this is definitely the right way to build a team.”
DSK Shivajians will be without Haroon Amiri, who will not be available for selection after he received his fourth caution of the season in the match against Aizawl FC. On the other hand, Arif Shaik and Melvin Lobo have been added back to the squad mix ahead of the last match in I-League.
Weather will also play a vital role in tomorrow’s match, as the humidity in Mumbai rises over 60% and the temperature hits the 30 degrees mark. The players from the Pune club will need to adapt to the conditions quickly if they aim to set the record straight.
The match kicks off at 7:00 pm and will be telecast live on Ten 2.
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