Second placed Mahindra United host league leaders Dempo SC in a mouth-watering marquee fixture in Round 18 of the 2009-10 i-League at the Cooperage ground in just over twenty four hours time. 

With both teams coming into the fixture on the back of three wins in their last five games, including comprehensive routs over defending champions Churchill Brothers, there is little to choose between the two heavyweights - apart from a two point difference in the all the overall standings.   

High Stakes

The stakes could not have been any higher at this stage and Coach David Booth’s intentions going into the tie are pretty clear - 

“We have played five games in the second leg where we have remained unbeaten, quite happy with the form of the team. At the beginning of the second leg, we were four points behind Dempo and now we have narrowed it down to two and one game can cancel that out. The players are in good heart and ready for this final run-in of games, so we feel capable of fighting all the way to finish line”, explains the Englishman.

Mano-e-Mano

With the exodus of striker Sunil Chhetri to the greener pastures of MLS outfit Kansas City Wizards, Dempo have lost out on a quality striker and more importantly, a key member of Coach Armando Colaco’s attacking arsenal. On the other hand, United’s roster boasts of what is arguably the deadliest pair upfront in the entire country – strikers Mohammad Rafi and Muritala Ali.

The battle in the middle of the park will be a fascinating one to observe considering that both teams like to get the ball into the wide areas and use wing-play as their preffered mode of attack. For Dempo, wingers Clifford Miranda and Anthony Pereira will play a crucial role as will the Mahindra duo of Paresh Shivalkar and Steven Dias.

In Dempo’s Climax Lawrence and United’s Sushant Mathew, the game will feature two of the best holding midfielders in the country who have been instrumental in the current campaign with their unrivaled work-ethic and keeping the opposition under check.

Happy Campers

The Goans have performed remarkably at the Cooperage this season, registering convincing wins against Mumbai FC and Air India, notching up six goals in the process. Interestingly, United’s only loss this season in an otherwise unblemished campaign was at home in a 2-1 result against Mohun Bagan.

Drawn results have been United’s Achilles heel this season with nine so far – a statistic that has seen them frustratingly dropping unnecessary points against mediocre opponents. For Dempo, recent embarrassing losses against relegation threatened Viva Kerala and Salgaocar meant that the Goans missed out on a glorious opportunity to pull away from the chasing pack.

Payback?

Lest we forget, Mahindra came agonizingly close to beating Dempo the last time the two sides met at the Fatorda Stadium when an 93rd  minute equalizer from Climax pulled the scores level at 2-2.  And the Reds will be out to set the record straight, as attested by Coach Booth’s observation -

“I read after the Dempo-Churchill game that if they (Dempo) continued like that nobody could beat them. That’s the second time I have read that from Dempo - that nobody is capable of beating them. They have short memories, forgetting how lucky they were to even get a point in our first leg encounter on their home ground. I just want to remind them that we are a threat and real. I’m sure that they are aware of that but chose to ignore us, could be a mistake. Our team is ready.” 

The Cooperage Beckons. Game On!

Form Guide (Last Five Matches)