I-League returns to Cooperage as Indian Arrows take on East Bengal

Action returns to the Cooperage stadium here when one of the two I-League games between Indian Arrows and East Bengal will be played at the iconic venue on Monday. Cooperage in south Mumbai is the venue where several greats of Indian football have played and once again under its flood-lights, the 22 players will take field. Two I-league matches  one on Monday and another on February 28 would be held.

Indian Arrows are languishing at the last spot with 8 points from 11 games, while East Bengal are placed ninth in 11-team table with 12 points. Shanmugam Venkatesh, Head Coach, Indian Arrows asserted confidence ahead of the match and said, "We are confident of a positive result against Quess East Bengal. Our last match against them was a good one for us and we will give our 100 per cent once again."

Having won against the Kolkata giants already, Coach Venkatesh remains wary of the challenge they still possess and added, "As I said earlier too, they are a very good team with a lot of talented players and we will have to be at our best to get the result we want." Quess East Bengal have had a number of problems to deal with over the season, but can take note of a select few positives from their last outing against Punjab FC.

They struck early in that game, courtesy an Ansumana Kromah stunner, but succumbed to lacklustre defending and mconceded an equaliser, eventually drawing 1-1. Despite the tough times that QEB have been going through, their supporters still remain firmly behind their team as the proverbial 12th man and Ansumana Kromah, Forward, Quess East Bengal voiced his gratitude ahead of the game by saying, "We are all grateful for the passionate support we still have and Ive felt that ever since I came back."

Kromah had been struggling to find himself in the starting XI but Marcos Jimenez De La Espadas dismissal in the reverse leg against the Arrows paved the way for him to make a point. Against Punjab, both Espada and Kromah were named to start upfront, with the latter delivering the goods and finding the net. "We have to respect the Indian Arrows. They are a great team with some outstanding young talent. They like to run a lot and they stunned us at home. We need to be careful, especially their right-wing which can cause us some trouble," he concluded.