All eyes will be on Brazil star Marcelinho Leite Pereira when Rajasthan United FC make their I-League debut against Roundglass Punjab FC in the opening day’s match at the Kalyani Stadium here on Sunday. The 34-year-old, who rocked the Indian Super League by winning the Golden Boot in his first season in 2016, is one of the biggest highlights of this I-League season. Starting with Delhi Dynamos, the attacking midfielder made 79 appearances and scored 33 goals in FC Pune City, Hyderabad FC, Odisha FC and ATK Mohun Bagan. The forward scored 10 goals in his first season on his way to winning the Golden Boot and with 18 assists, he is currently ranked third in the ISL charts.
Now he will try to level up for RUFC which is the first team from Rajasthan to qualify for the I-League.
“It’s a new team, and I want to set an example for young players. At the same time, I want to enjoy my football with the team and let everyone enjoy it.”
Of his goal, he said: “To be on top.”
“The goal is always to be the champion. Nothing else matters.”
They also have I-League winners Comoron Turunov, Diego Bilkiewicz, Akim Abioye and Fabiano Alves in their lineup of foreigners.
On the other hand, Punjab FC, coached by Ashley Westwood, have English defender Joseph Yarney, Spanish midfielder Joseba Bettiah, English striker Kurtis Guthrie and Australian forward Travis Major.
Local players Gurtej Singh, Rinto Anto and Bikash Yumnam will be the center of their defence, while the midfield will be commanded by players like CK Vineet, Keane Lewis and Ashish Pradhan.
In attack, the club will rely on Sumeet Passi and Robin Singh to score goals.
Applauding the success of RUFC, Westwood admitted that they are up for an uphill battle.
“He has trained well and probably prepared better considering the fact that he has played competitive matches for a long time. They will have the advantage,” Westwood said in a virtual conversation on the eve of their match.
“We are expecting a tough game. We need to perform well otherwise we will come back without any points.”
Former JCT defender Gurtej Singh is waiting to return to his homeland.
“I have played for JCT before. After a long time, I am getting a chance to play for Punjab again. It is really a proud moment for me,” Gurtej said.
In the opening day’s encounter, the holders of Gokulam Kerala will also face former champions Churchill Brothers in another match at the Kalyani Stadium.
The Malabarians won their first I-League title last season by defeating the Red Machines by the narrowest margin.
With an aim to bring home the trophy once again, the Goa team has assembled a quality squad under head coach Petre Gigiu, who lifted them to the fourth position in 2018-19.
Gokulam Kerala, coached by Italian Vincenzo Alberto Aeneas, will miss the Ghanaian trio of Denny Antavi, Philippe Adjah and Mohamed Awal who have left the club.
In his place, he has brought forward defenders Amino Bouba and Rahim Osumanu.
“We have a lot of youngsters who will make their I-League debut. It’s great to continue to have players from last season like Alex Saji, who are now part of the national camp,” said their Italian coach.
“Churchill is our big rival from last season but I don’t pay much attention to my opponents. I only study them cleverly. If we focus on our team, we can beat them all.”
Indian Arrows, a development organization of the All India Football Federation based out of Bhubaneswar, will take on TRAI FC at the Mohun Bagan ground here.
Local heavyweight Mohammedan SC, under new head coach Andrey Chernyshov, will be looking to win their first I-League title with a number of quality signings, including 26-year-old Serbian Nikola Stojanovic, who had previously been inspiring in his CFL victories. year, something that came after 40 years.
They will also have experienced Trinidad and Tobago supporters Marcus Joseph and Brandon Vanlalremdika, Montenegrin midfielder Andjelo Rudovic and six-foot-five Bosnian forward Ismar Tandir.
Real Kashmir, with star players like Fran Gonzalez and Mason Robertson, will be riding high on their second consecutive win of the IFA Shield earlier this month.
With the addition of three new sides – Andhra Pradesh’s Srinidi Deccan FC, Rajasthan United FC and Kolhapur’s Kenkre FC – the upcoming edition will see 13 teams from 11 cities.
The I-League champion team will play in the top tier Indian Super League on the basis of “Sporting” qualification from 2023.
After two years there will be promotion (from I-League to ISL) and relegation (from ISL and I-League) between the two leagues.
Like last year, the I-League will be conducted in a bio-secure environment with strict COVID-19 protocols.
The matches will be played at three venues – Mohun Bagan Ground, Kalyani Stadium and Naihati Stadium in Kolkata.
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