I-League: RoundGlass Punjab host Gokulam Kerala in heavyweight contest
Dec 21, 2022
Panchkula (Haryana) [India], December 21 : RoundGlass Punjab FC will host defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC in the I-League 2022-23 at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on Wednesday.
After three away games on the trot where they picked up four points, RoundGlass Punjab are back home. Staikos Vergetis' side are unbeaten in Panchkula with three wins and a draw. With main striker Luka Majcen missing, RoundGlass Punjab have recently struggled in front of goal, managing to score just once in their last three outings. To the relief of the home fans, the Slovenian striker will be available for selection tomorrow against his former side Gokulam Kerala.
The Malabarians were held to a goalless draw by NEROCA in their last outing in Manjeri after registering back-to-back wins against Sudeva Delhi (3-0) and Rajasthan United (1-0). Richard Towa's side have the best defensive record in the I-League this season with just two goals conceded in eight matches.
At the pre-match press conference, RoundGlass Punjab head coach Staikos Vergetis talked about the title race and stressed upon the importance of taking one game at a time. "My point of view is to see every game separately. We are focusing on the game tomorrow, not the points table. It's too early for that." said the Greek.
Staikos further shared his thoughts on opponents Gokulam Kerala. "It's a difficult opponent for us. We know their strong points. They are the defending champions and like us, it's important for them to win tomorrow too. It will be a strong match" he said.
Gokulam Kerala head coach Richard Towa said, "As defending champions, pressure is always there in every game. We know we're facing a very good team tomorrow. The players are ready and the most important thing for us is to win those three points tomorrow before going into the break."
Experienced midfielder Tanmoy Ghosh, who has made seven appearances for the Malabarians this season, spoke about the competitiveness of the league. "RoundGlass Punjab is a very good team, but as promotion to the ISL is on the line, every team is playing really well this year and things are really tight in the table. Everyone wants to become champion."
