Real Kashmir FC face the biggest test of their debut season so far when they take on leaders Chennai City FC in a 14th round I-League clash here Monday in a match which will have a huge impact on both sides in their title hunt.
Chennai are leading the I-League table on 30 points from 13 matches while Real Kashmir are in third with 25 from 13 games. Churchill Brothers are in second spot on 28 points from 14 matches.
Monday's match at the TRC ground is more crucial for Real Kashmir than the Chennai team as any slip-up on the part of the home side will lead to an eight-point gap from the visiting side with just six matches to come after this.
But, the David Robertson-coached team will start in an advantageous position in their home turf with the temperature expected to dip below 5 degree Celsius even at 2pm start.
There is biting cold in Srinagar and the field of play has snow over it for the past couple of days.
Real Kashmir will also start confidently as they have beaten Chennai in their own backyard in the first leg in Coimbatore. That was Chennai's only loss of the season in 13 games so far.
More From This Section
Chennai's Singaporean coach Akbar Nawas, who has shepherded the side brilliantly through the season, will be hoping his team acclimatises quickly after a long two-day travel and at the very least, go back without being beaten.
"I think its ok. The altitude at Aizawl is higher, so it was tougher there. The support staff and the players on the bench will suffer from cold, not the players who are running," Nawas said at the match-eve press conference.
"One thing about us is that we are not here to win the title. We have just come here to play one match that is scheduled tomorrow. Real Kashmir are very competitive. It will be a tough game for us. They have won a title (I-League second division) last year. They are competitive defensively."
"We know it's going to be a tough game but we all are looking forward to it. We were away from home for a long time, around 45 days. So we all are happy coming back home. It's the second game between us so everyone has a fair idea about the opponents. We have got to be the best to match up to them."