Three points is all Chennai City FC need to win their maiden I-League title when they take on Minerva Punjab in their final game here on Saturday.
With 40 points in 19 games, Chennai City are top of the table. However, East Bengal are one point behind and need a win over Gokulam Kerala to savour any hopes of stealing the title from Chennai City.
If Chennai win against Minerva they will land a maiden national crown in remarkably just their third year in the league. Even a draw can see them through, provided East Bengal do not win against Gokulam.
On the other hand, East Bengal will face Gokulam in a must-win match in hopes of winning the title.
Chennai had the opportunity to win the title in the previous match but succumbed to a dramatic 2-3 defeat at the hands of Churchill Brothers.
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Playing their final game of the season, Chennai will miss the services of its star midfielder Nestor Gordillo, who is facing a yellow-card suspension.
Gordillo is a key member of a troika of attacking Spaniards including league joint top scorer Pedro Manzi and Sandro Rodriguez. The trio has accounted for 37 of Chennai's 45 goals.
The value of Gordillo to the team is far beyond his eight goals and nine assists delivered in the campaign thus far. His vision, trickery and passing ability has rarely been seen in an Indian domestic football season in the recent past.
Meanwhile, Minerva are lying at the tenth spot with 17 points in 18 games. They have witnessed a stormy season which saw foreign players recruited and discarded frequently.
The 'Warriors' from Punjab will fancy their chances as party-spoilers and also gain some momentum ahead of the Super Cup.
Meanwhile, East Bengal will look to capitalise on Mexican forward Enrique Esqueda's bright form when they face Gokulam Kerala in a must-win match and also hope for results to go their way elsewhere in a bid to claim the I-League title.
Esqueda was out of action after suffering a broken rib following a 3-1 win over Gokulam Kerala in December last year but the Mexican showed prolific form, scoring the first goal against Real Kashmir in a 2-1 win on February 28.
The Mexican recorded astounding stats after returning from injury to help the Red and Golds in their quest.
With 8 goals and 2 assists to his name in the I-League, Esqueda has been the go-to-player for East Bengal.
However, a win on Friday might not be enough for East Bengal to claim the title as currently they are one point adrift of table-toppers Chennai City FC. However, a draw or a loss for Chennai City FC and a win for the Red and Gold will lead them to the tile and Esqueda would certainly hope for the latter.
Ahead of their match against Gokulam Kerala, Alejandro Menedez, head coach of East Bengal, was asked about Esqueda's importance to the team.
"He has been an important figure in our setup. However, it is also important to note that one player is important," the coach said.
"I am really happy that our foreigners are in good form and contributing to the team's cause," he added.
