I-League: TRAU seek hat-trick of home wins against tenacious Rajasthan United

Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) FC will host Rajasthan United FC in their I-League 2022-23 match at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Thursday.

The hosts head into the fixture with confidence sky-high after two morale-boosting wins at home against RoundGlass Punjab FC (2-0) and city rivals NEROCA FC (2-1). With Rajasthan placed just one point above them in the league standings, a third consecutive win will push TRAU above them and cement their position on the top half of the table.

Rajasthan's season, meanwhile, had gathered serious pace after an impressive run of two wins and a draw across 11 days but a draw at home to Mumbai Kenkre (1-1) and a loss on the road to Gokulam Kerala (0-1) has slowed down their charge. A key objective for the Desert Warriors tomorrow will be to regain their winning form and move closer to the sides at the league summit.

The sole meeting between the two sides in the competition saw Rajasthan pick up a 2-0 win last season in Naihati.

TRAU head coach Nandakumar Singh mentioned that the morale levels in the team are high. He said, "After winning the last two matches, our confidence has been boosted. We want to make our home advantage count against Rajasthan, who are a very good and well-balanced side with quality foreigners. We expect a tough match and are ready to fight for the three points."

Defender Yendrembam Naresh said, "We got six points from our last two matches at home and tomorrow, we will have our fans backing us fully. Rajasthan are also a strong team and we will give our best against them."

Rajasthan head coach Pushpender Kundu praised his players for their tenacity. "The previous match was a tough one and our schedule has been hectic. However, we are blessed to have great characters in the team and hope that we can maintain a consistent level of performance throughout the long season. We have been training well and are ready for tomorrow," Kundu said.

Winger Chanso Horam, who has previously played for TRAU said, "I am really excited to play against my former team. We are looking forward to the match and ready to give our 100 percent."

( With inputs from ANI )