Sports
Clash of Titans: Three Star takes on Manang Marshyangdi
Two heavyweights of domestic football Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) and Three Star Club will clash in the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on Thursday.Prajwal Oli
Two heavyweights of domestic football Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) and Three Star Club will clash in the Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League at the ANFA Complex in Satdobato, Lalitpur, on Thursday.
Billed as Clash of Titans, MMC though will have to do with a depleted squad in its third round showdown with the Lalitpur-based outfit. The record seven-time league champions will miss five of its regular starter—Nigerian forward Olawale Afeez, midfielder duo Sujal Shrestha and Prakash Budathoki and defenders Kamal Shrestha and Bimal Basnet—for the match, leaving Three Star the early favourites.
While the midfielders are ruled out due to injury forward Afeez and defender Shrestha are serving one-match suspensions. Basnet left for Australia for personal reasons.
Three Star and MMC are tied with Sankata Club on six points atop the standings. But Three Star stays top of tht pile on the basis on better scoring record followed by MMC and Sankata. MMC coach Suman Shrestha, however, played down the significance of the absentees. “We have good bench strength and the absence of key players will hardly be felt,” said Shrestha. “I don’t think we are in trouble facing the opponents as we have prepared and planned accordingly in the last four days we had before coming to this match,” said Shrestha.
The MMC coach also said his side was looking for all three points on Thursday. “No doubt, the match will be tough but we will go for win. Anything less than a draw would be disappointing,” said Shrestha, who is assuming as the coach of top-tier team for the first time in his career.
Shrestha also billed the match as the ‘final’. “Although every single match is as important to us as Thursday’s clash, I still see it like a title clash. Victory against one of the favourites will definitely boost the psychology of the team for the remainder of the league,” added Shrestha.
Shrestha’s Three Star counterpart Meghraj KC was not willing to put greater emphasis on the MMC clash, saying it will be just like any other game. “It is just third round match and there’s still a long way to go in the league. Like any other matches, there is three points on offer which we will be try to get,” said KC.
“Of course, the match between the two title contenders will obviously weigh heavy on the fans,” said KC, who refused to take MMC as a weaker team owing to its key absentees. “Teams like Three Star and MMC will always have strong back-ups to their injury woes,” said KC. Unlike MMC, Three Star has been boosted by the return of its skipper Bikram Lama from a 10-month long injury layoff.
In the early kickoff, Chyasal Youth Club will take on New Road Team (NRT). Both Chyasal and NRT are looking for its first win after playing draws in their first matches and losing their second.
Today’s Fixtures
Chyasal Vs NRT @ 1100 NST
MMC Vs Three Star @ 1430 NST
Venue: ANFA Complex, Satdobato