I-League qualifiers: Rajasthan United FC lock horns with high flying Delhi FC
Oct 17, 2021
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], October 17 : Rajasthan United FC are set to begin their final round of matches in the I-League Qualifiers 2021 with a clash against the in-form Delhi FC here at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Monday.
Rajasthan United FC has qualified for the final round by virtue of obtaining 5 points from their three group stage matches, finishing in the second spot in their group, albeit with an identical record as their Group A counterparts Madan Maharaj FC. RUFC have remained winless in the campaign since their opening day win against Ryntih SC, which was followed by two draws from as many matches. However, head coach Vikrant Sharma insists that his team will set out to obtain all 3 points in their match against Delhi FC.
"All four teams remaining in this stage of the competition are really good and committed to winning the tournament. In a Round Robin format things can go down to the wire in terms of qualification, so it will be very important for us to begin the final round with a win tomorrow," Vikrant Sharma said in an official release.
Assessing the quality of the competition in the final round, Vikrant said, "Each team has come out of a very tough group stage by overcoming high-quality opposition and playing good football, so each team has an equal chance of securing qualification I think. We believe we are in the mix as well, therefore we are staying positive at the moment."
Delhi FC will come into tomorrow's match against RUFC as the form team of the I-League Qualifiers so far, recording four wins from four matches and scoring 11 goals in the process. After chopping and changing the line-up in their final two group matches, head coach Surinder Singh is happy that he has had a chance to assess his whole squad's performance and output on the field.
Singh maintains that making changes to the starting line-up has been important as the matches have come thick and fast in the tournament, and he is confident in the abilities of his squad players who have duly lived up to the expectations of the head coach.
Delhi FC will also be able to call upon the services of club captain Anwar Ali, whose dismissal for a straight red card in a substitute appearance against Kenkre FC in the last group match has been overturned. Singh believes that the decision to rescind his captain's red card comes as a boost to his team's chances of doing well in the competition.