The team might be missing the services of the senior players who have moved on looking for greener pastures, but the Aircraftmen from the Garden City are ready to take on Chirag Kerala.
Recent performance in the Federation Cup does not speak great about HAL they made a habit of conceding goals in the dying moments of the match.
- A penalty in the injury time against Pailan Arrows.
- A completely outplayed 0-4 game against the eventual champs Salgaoncar,
- Failing to hold the lead against Mumbai FC and finally losing the battle again in the stoppage time.
Team needed some serious retrospection if they were interested to stay in the I-League. They skipped Durand Cup, fearing injuries hampering their preparation. Rather, they played practice matches with the local outfits in MEG and ASC.
Midfield composition seems to the something that will worry HAL. Looking at the practice session today morning, Konsam Ajitkumar Singh will be playing the holding game along with Deepak Prakash and Karthigayen on the flanks.
Central defense seems to be intact with Femi Adeola and Liliyan Kennath still on their ranks. Chandandeep Singh and Gautam Debnath will play on the right and left fullback respectively.
Neither HAL nor Chirag Kerala boast of any big name in their ranks, but the home advantage should do the trick for HAL.
