Saina, Sindhu to lead East Bengal to face Churchill; Indian challenge Lajong take on Minerva FC
Olympic medallists Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu will look to become only the third Indian to lay hands on the prestigious All England trophy when they lead the home challenge at the Super Series Premier tournament, starting with the qualifiers here on Tuesday.
Ever since Pullela Gopichand emulated Prakash Padukone’s 1980 feat in 2001, no Indian has ever laid claim to the crown with Saina being the country’s only shuttler to come close to achieving that rare feat when she reached the finals in 2015.
Back to full fitness after putting in the hard yards following a complete recovery from the knee injury, which had broken her Rio Olympics dream, Saina is now aiming to regain her position in world badminton and will be eager to dish out a powerpacked performance at the Barclaycard Arena.
Sindhu, who became the toast of the nation after her historic silver medal in Rio, will be keen to erase the memory of a first round exit in the last edition with another determined effort which helped her to claim her maiden title at China Open last year.
Both have made a resounding start to the new season with titles at Malaysia Masters and Syed Modi GP Gold tournaments.
Buoyed by their away win against Shillong Lajong FC, leaders East Bengal next face a resurgent Churchill Brothers, as they seek to consolidate their position atop the standings, in an I-League football fixture at the Vidyasagar Krirangan in Barasat on Tuesday.
Australian forward Chris Payne struck a first-half double to seal a 2-1 win in Shillong on March 4 and it took the Trevor Morgan-coached side to 27 points from 12 outings, one point clear of Aizawl FC.
The red-and-gold camp is likely to be further bolstered by the return of their leading goal scorer this season, Willis Deon Plaza, who has netted six times.
While Plaza has recovered from a groin injury, Wedson Anselme is yet to regain full fitness and is likely to sit out.
Morgan has termed their away win in Shillong a very important in their maiden I-league title pursuit.
East Bengal had blanked Churchill Brothers 2-0 in their away fixture at Vasco on January 18 and they will be aiming for a double for the first time since 2004-05.
Shillong Lajong FC will look to getting back to winning ways when they take on Minerva Punjab FC in a I-League football match at the Guru Nanak Stadium here on Tuesday.
Lajong won the first leg fixture against Minerva Punjab by 2-1 with Rupert Nongrum and Aser Dipanda Dicka netting their first goals for the highlanders in the game.
Lajong are heading into the 13th round of the I-League after a 1-2 defeat at home against East Bengal FC last Saturday. Lajong coach Thangboi Singto has very high expectations from him and is hoping the entire team also performs collectively well and gets positive result from the game against the Punjab side.