AIFF Elite Academy will look to seal a birth in the final of the ongoing U-18 I-League when they lock horns with unbeaten United Sports Club in the first last-four clash at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata on Friday.
With a place in the final of the country's biggest youth competition at stake, it will be an enchanting contest between two sides, who has taken the youth development in India to a whole different level.
The defending champions Elite Academy began their final round campaign with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Minerva Punjab FC and then edged past DSK Shivajians 2-1 which took them through to the last four before losing their final group game against Bengaluru FC.
However, Elite Academy coach Floyd Pinto does not seem to be affected by the defeat that came right before the semi-finals, as the 31-year-old stays confident ahead of the pre-summit clash and fancy his team's chances against United SC, who seem like a side on a mission after scoring 17 goals in 3 group games.
"It's an important game but end of the day, it's just another game and we need to play good football to win. I expect a difficult match because the two teams boast of talented players and it will be very tough for either side," said coach Pinto.
Measuring the opponents strength the Maharashtrian coach added, "We know that our opponent scores a lot of goals but that does not mean we will be content to defend. We have our own philosophy and boys are committed to delivering a good performance. A place in the final up for grabs and we are ready at all levels."
United SC, on the other hand, have set the tournament on fire. The Purple Brigade started off with a 9-0 victory over Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools before beating Salgocar FC and Royal Wahingdoh 5-3 and 3-0 respectively. The Surajit Das-coached side are the highest scoring side in the competition so far and incidentally, they are the only team to qualify for the semi-finals with an all-win record.