On a high after their Durand Cup triumph, qualifiers Mohammedan Sporting will face last season’s runners-up Pune FC as the seventh edition of the I-League kicks off on Saturday.
The I-League had earlier suffered a setback as it was reduced to a 13-team affair after Mumbai Tigers pulled out, days after Pailan Arrows was disbanded by the AIFF.
Amid all this, the seventh I-League, and 18th overall (including the earlier National Football League) will begin on Saturday with three matches — Mumbai FC v Sporting Club de Goa and Churchill Brothers v Salgaocar being the other two.
Mohammedan Sporting will look to start with a bang as they return to the top tier league after four years, while a new look Pune outfit will look to find rhythm under Dutchman Mike Snoei, who replaced Derrick Pereira.
Mohammedan Sporting have invested heavily with foreigners Luciano Sabrosa, Penn Orji, Tolgay Ozbey and Joshimar d’Silva in the line up.
With immense experience in Indian football Mohammedan Sporting under Nigerian coach Abdul Aziz Moshood will be the team to watch out for this season.
Among Pune FC’s foreigners, only Ivorian midfielder Douhou Pierre has previous experience of playing in India while English defender Calum Angus, Australian striker James Meyer and Raul Fabiani are all new to the league.
Churchill take on Salgaocar
Meanwhile Defending champions Churchill Brothers will look to start their campaign on a winning note when they take on Salgaocar FC on Saturday.
Churchill are a mixture of experience and youth and has the ability to score from set-pieces. Young blood Richard Costa, Alesh Sawant, Elvis Barreto and Jaison Vales have been outstanding performers in the local league.
While Salgaocar will look to put up a spirited show under their new coach Derrick Pereira.