Sreenidi Deccan lock horns with Mohammedan SC in I-League summit clash

The Deccan Warriors are currently in 3rd place in the I-League standings but could displace the Black Panthers at the top with a win on Thursday.

Hyderabad: Sreenidi Deccan Football Club host Mohammedan Sporting Club in a mouthwatering top of the table I-League clash here at the Deccan Arena on Thursday which could have ramifications on the title race.

The Deccan Warriors are currently in 3rd place in the I-League standings but could displace the Black Panthers at the top with a win. The corresponding fixture had ended in a 2-1 win for Mohammedan SC in Kolkata.

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Sreenidi Deccan head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto and midfielder Kean Lewis addressed the media ahead of the clash. Speaking about the 2-0 win over Namdhari FC in the previous game, the Portuguese tactician observed, “They were a challenging opponent who put a lot of numbers behind the ball but we overcame that and got the win which was the most important thing. We are not perfect so there is always room for improvement and we will keep striving for the same.”

Despite being billed as a ‘title decider’, Vaz Pinto refused to get drawn into championship talk and reiterated the focus was taking it game by game. “The league will not be decided tomorrow, neither for Sreenidi Deccan nor for Mohammedan SC. Everyone was saying the league was done in December but it is a different story now.

First, they were talking about Mohammedan SC and now they are talking about Gokulam Kerala. Here at Sreenidi Deccan, we are talking about the three points on offer tomorrow and our focus is on working hard to get them,” he said.

Winger Kean Lewis faced a challenging initial period after signing for Sreenidi Deccan in summer but the experienced 31-year-old, who played for Mohammedan SC last season, has been one of the most consistent performers in the team of late. “Every player wants to play and I am no different. I am happy to keep contributing and help the team keep winning,” he said. “Both teams have different players as compared to last season so it is difficult to predict how the game will pan out tomorrow, but we will be playing to win.”