I-League: Five key fixtures until the March international break

The I-League resumes with one rearranged match on Tuesday and a few more at the weekend. Here are five fixtures to look forward to until the international break in early March.

The list is in chronological order

Churchill Brothers vs Rangdajied United (Tuesday, February 11)

The I-League doesn’t end until April but this fixture already looks like a relegation six-pointer as rock-bottom Churchill Brothers host second-from-bottom Rangdajied United. The Goan club are high on confidence following their Federation Cup triumph last month but have their work cut out to survive in the I-League. Rangdajied ended 2013 strongly as they have lost only one of their last seven I-League matches and got a couple of creditable draws against East Bengal and Bengaluru in the Federation Cup. The reverse fixture ended 1-1 in Shillong but Churchill Brothers have the chance now to make the most of their home advantage and take maximum points which would see them go above Rangdajied. The I-League holders also have a match in hand so victory in this fixture could be significant while Santosh Kashyap’s side have a golden opportunity to go five clear of Churchill but even a draw will be a decent result for them.