Imphal: RoundGlass Punjab FC (RGPFC) will face NEROCA FC tomorrow in a crucial tie as the season nears towards the final rounds in a Round 18 fixture of the Hero I-League 2022-23 season which will be played here at the Khuman Lampak Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7 PM.
RGPFC are playing their fifth consecutive away game and this will be their last away game before going back to playing consecutive games at Panchkula, their home venue making this game against NEROCA FC a very crucial tie in the season. Currently placed second in the table below Sreenidi Deccan on head to head record, RGPFC cannot afford any mistakes at this time of the season. They have won twice and drawn twice in their run of consecutive away games and will be high on confidence after beating Aizawl FC in their last round at Aizawl. NEROCA had drawn their last game against Real Kashmir FC at Srinagar and will be happy to be back at their home ground.
“We cannot be sure of anything in football but one thing I am sure about is that our team will fight in every game to secure the three points and do everything possible to make that happen on the field. Our only focus is tomorrow’s match and not how the table looks like”, said RGPFC Head Coach Staikos Vergetis during the pre-match press conference.
Khuman Lampak has not been a happy hunting ground for RGPFC as they encountered their first loss of the season in this venue to Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) who also play their home games at this stadium. With the matches coming in thick and fast, Coach Staikos Vergetis has used the squad depth to good use and rotated his squad well in the previous matches. Luka Majcen is the second top scorer in the league with 10 goals while goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu has 7 clean sheets, the highest in the league.
RGPFC defender Khaiminthang Lhungdim during the pre – match press conference said, “It’s a nice feeling to be playing against my previous team and we are fully prepared for the match and play well to get all three points.”
RoundGlass Punjab FC had won the reverse fixture against NEROCA FC 3-1 at Panchkula in January with Luka Majcen, Brandon Vanlalremdika and Krishnananda Singh scoring the winning goals. RGPFC is currently second in the table with 37 points from 17 matches while NEROCA FC are eighth in the table with 21 points from 17 matches.
