KOLKATA: Former I-League-winning coach Kibu Vicuna's reign at Mohammedan Sporting begins with a tricky test against Rajasthan United FC at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi on Friday.
Mohammedan Sporting club management brought Vicuna on board to Russian coach Andrey Chernyshov following a string of poor results, especially on the road of the ongoing I-League.
Aiming to land the elusive trophy after finishing second in the last edition of I-League, the city club is languishing at the bottom half of the table with 11 points from 9 games, 10 points behind current leaders Sreenidi Deccan FC.
"We have been preparing for the past two weeks. We've had good training sessions and also played a friendly match against East Bengal. We are ready for tomorrow's game," Vicuna said on Thursday ahead of starting his new innings in the city.
Mohammedan Sporting's record in away matches in this season has been abysmal, losing four and drawing once so far. As the team is searching for its maiden win on the road, Vicuna — who guided Mohun Bagan to their second I-League title in 2019-2020 and also managed Kerala Blasters in the ISL — is aware of the job at hand.
Interestingly, Vicuna will have to plan for nullifying the threat from one of his opponents, who played an influential part in Mohun Bagan's I-League triumph three seasons ago. Spanish midfielder Joseba Beitia was recently elevated as Rajasthan United's captain for the rest of the season.
"Rajasthan United have many good players, especially Beitia, who is one of the most creative players in the league. Rajasthan are certainly a tough team to beat, but we are ready for the challenge," Vicuna said.
It remains to be seen if Mohammedan Sporting under Vicuna can finally break their jinx in away games this term.
