Sethu cautious before key tie against Eastern Sporting Union
AIFF media team
AHMEDABAD: An interesting tie between two former Hero Indian Women’s League champions Sethu Madurai and Eastern Sporting Union is coming up on Friday, May 5, 2023 at Hero IWL 2023 at the TransStadia in Ahmedabad.
Sethu Madurai already clinched the title in 2019 and is looking to reclaim glory this season. They are now top of Group B. Head coach Joseph Naik spoke about his side’s preparations ahead of the game.
“Eastern Sporting Union are one of the strongest teams and they play good football. We focus on staying calm and composed as we like to play good football too.”
Asked if the team could go unbeaten in the group stage, Naik replied: “It will be amazing if we go unbeaten. Anything is possible. We believe in ourselves and trust each other but at the same time we are not overconfident.” We work as a team to get better with every game.”
On the other hand, Eastern Sporting Union, champions of the inaugural Hero IWL season, will try to bounce back after losing to Odisha FC. “We will hit back to get the three points,” said head coach Ronibala Devi as she urged her side to play their best game.
“We still have chances to qualify so we will do our best to win games and score more goals,” she added.
The game between Sethu Madurai and Eastern Sporting Union will kick off at 8:00 AM IST.
Odisha FC seeks top spot
A tough task awaits Churchill Brothers FC when they meet tough Group B opponents Odisha FC at the Shahibau Police Stadium on Friday at 8am.
The Goan side are yet to claim their first points of the season and will be looking to make their mark against their strong rivals. Head coach Girijadevi Desai said: “We are preparing to put in a better performance compared to our previous games.”
Odisha FC, on the other hand, have their sights set on the top of their group in a bid to take their quarter-final qualifying race to the next level. Head coach Crispin Chettri said: “Group B is very competitive. Teams like Sethu, Eastern Sporting Union and Kickstart show brilliant performances and goals. Our priority right now is to maintain a consistent performance and come out victorious from every game.”
CRPF is aiming for full marks
CRPF and Celtic Queens will clash at TransStadia. The two sides come at the back of opposite results.
CRPF clinched a great 5-2 win over Lords FA and will look to build on the momentum in Friday’s game. Meanwhile, Celtic Queens suffered a 7-1 loss to Sethu Madurai and are keen to make a comeback in this match.
Kickstart FC is ready to kick off again
Having suffered defeats in their last two games, Lords FA will be looking to make amends when they take on Kickstart FC at the Shahibuag Police Stadium. Kickstart, on the other hand, has momentum in its favor after a massive 10-0 win over Churchill Brothers on Wednesday. Expressing her thoughts ahead of Friday’s game, head coach Langam Chaoba Devi said: “All the remaining games are very important for us and we will keep the same pace and winning mentality.”