I-LEAGUE Hosts keen on making amends in absence of captain Anwar Ali Ludhiana, December 6 Kolkata giants Quess East Bengal (QEB) will square off against former champions Punjab FC in a Hero I-League match at the Guru Nanak Stadium here tomorrow. Punjab FC did not have a great start to their campaign as they went down 0-3 to Churchill Brothers FC Goa in their opening match and the side will be under immense pressure at home in absence of captain Anwar Ali, who was sent off against the Red Machines. Defence may be an area of concern for Punjab head coach Yan Law as the side was left exposed against Churchill Brothers. The coach will also be concerned about the finishing and chance-creation as they face an aggressive opposition in East Bengal. “We had a disappointing result against Churchill Brothers in the opening game of the season,” said Yan Law. “According to stats, the game was played evenly, we actually had more chances than the opposition, but failed to convert any as the Churchill defence held us well.” Law, however, reposed faith in his team. “We have worked on all the problems, analysed everything in detail, where things went wrong, and the boys are pretty confident for the next game against East Bengal at home,” he said. “This season, our team has good depth. We have good players who will be making their way into the team in the next game, and some major tactical changes have been made as Anwar Ali is missing from our defence,” the coach pointed. Quess East Bengal, on the other hand, will be disappointed with a 1-1 draw at home in their last game against Real Kashmir, considering the fact that they dominated the match with 64 per cent possession, and had the lion’s share of chances. Their Spanish imports looked sharp in midfield but lacked the killing instinct and failed to conjure-up three points in front of an 11,000-odd strong home support. East Bengal gaffer Alejandro Menéndez, however, maintained that last game’s result would not change his team’s approach. “We have prepared the team in the same way as the first game. We promise good football and a good game. The idea is to approach the game in the same way and try to score as many goals as possible,” said Menéndez.

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