Mohammedan Sporting, Bhawanipore in 'virtual final' in I-League qualifiers

KOLKATA: With the controversy around the sacking of coach Yan Law and the suspicions of foul play involving him and his previous employer Ranjit Bajaj still fresh,

Mohammedan Sporting Club

(MSC) will have odds stacked heavily against them when they enter the

Kalyani stadium

on Friday.

Right from Day I of the pandemic-affected season, the team's preparations have swirled around the primary ambition of making the

I-League

cut, having bolstered the squad with the likes of

Willis Plaza

and others. They are now facing the judgement day.

In their path will be standing another city side - Bhawanipore FC, the only team with the realistic chance of queering the pitch of Plaza and Co.

Both teams go into this "virtual final" on back of successive victories, but MSC are currently on top of the table thanks to a superior goal difference (+1).

While any of the two can seal the coveted berth with a win, a draw will keep things hanging in balance until the final-day action.

"It will be a tough match. We have got just a day in between two matches so keeping the players physically fit is crucial. We know that MSC are a good side, but we will give our best to reach our goal," Bhawanipore head coach Sankarlal Chakraborty told TOI, adding that it's going to be "a virtual final".

The onus, thus, will be more on MSC as they need to conquer their inner demons as well as an opponent in Bhawanipore, who boast of having two in-form attackers Ghanaian Philip Adjah and

Pankaj Moula

.

"We will go into the match with three points in our mind. We have a strong squad and we are confident of winning it. We proved in our last game (4-1 win over ARA) what we are capable of and we want to prove it once again" MSC football secretary

Dipendu Biswas

said.

Meanwhile, in the day's first match, ARA FC will take on Garhwal FC at the same venue.