Shillong, Apr 13: Meghalaya will have a tough test on hand tomorrow when they play their third match of the final round of the Santosh Trophy against Services in Ludhiana.
Meghalaya lost their opener to Delhi 1-0 but bounced back for a 3-2 win over Odisha.
Services, though, are currently at the top of Group A, following a 1-1 draw with Goa and victories over Delhi (2-1) and Odisha (2-0).
Second-placed Goa are to face Odisha tomorrow as well and are overwhelming favourites in that contest, so Meghalaya must win against Services if they are to still hope for a spot in the top two, which would qualify them for the semifinals.
Meghalaya are either third or fourth in the Group A standings – third if goal difference is used to separate Meghalaya and Delhi or fourth if it’s head-to-head. We’re not sure what system the Santosh Trophy uses.
The last time Meghalaya and Services were drawn together in the Santosh Trophy, Meghalaya had won 2-0 in 2017 in Goa.
There is another factor that could give Meghalaya some help – by the end of the match tomorrow Services will have played all four of their fixtures in the space of just seven days, so they could well be exhausted, while Meghalaya have had a bit of a breather since they faced off with Odisha on 10th April.
(File photo)
