After facing their first defeat of the I-League Qualifiers 2021 final round against Kenkre FC, Madan Maharaj FC are eyeing a return to winning ways as they prepare to take on Rajasthan United FC here at the Bangalore Football Stadium.
Madan Maharaj FC approach Wednesday's encounter finding themselves in a virtual do-or-die situation as the side from Madhya Pradesh must secure a win to keep their I-League qualification hopes alive.
In the face of adversity, MMFC head coach Amit Jaiswal maintained an optimistic outlook, stressing that the team must get over the disappointment of their first defeat and focus on the task at hand.
"The way I look at it, we cannot dwell on the past result as we must focus on the match tomorrow. Frankly, we do not have any other choice either. We still have a chance to go through, so we have to try and go out tomorrow to get a win and build some momentum for our last game of the competition. There are still 6 key points to play for, and we have to try and obtain the maximum. Even in the group stage, we began our campaign with a disappointing draw but we managed to finish on top by the end. Therefore, I remain optimistic that we can achieve that same feat again. We have the self belief and the attitude to always fight until the end," said Amit Jaiswal in the pre match press conference.
Jaiswal identified some key areas where he wants his team to improve in order to come away with a win against Rajasthan United. He said, "We did not play a bad match yesterday, but we did miss a lot of chances and we were not clinical in front of goal. Our reality at the moment is that we are missing some key players in attack with the likes of Shubham (Bhowmick) and Jiten (Murmu) being out injured. They are crucial to our style of play and it is not easy for new players to come in take up that role in such a short span."
Jaiswal went on to state that key forward Jiten Murmu is facing a race against time to be fit and available for Madan Maharaj FC's crucial match tomorrow. He said, "We are tracking Jiten's injuries and hoping that he will be able to recover and be fit for tomorrow's match. The turn-around time between matches is quick, so we cannot be certain if he will be ready by tomorrow, but our physiotherapist and the rest of the staff are trying their best to aid his recovery."
Rajasthan United FC came into the I-League Qualifiers content to not be categorised as one of the favourites in the competition, but the side has gone from strength to strength since their first match in their debut Qualifiers campaign. With four matches played and the final round underway, RUFC remain the only undefeated team in the competition so far.
( With inputs from ANI )
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