Kolkata, Jan 29 (IANS): Aizawl FC will lock horns against North Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association (NEROCA) Football Club at the Mohun Bagan Ground on Saturday.

Both Aizawl and NEROCA had performances to forget in their respective recent games. While Aizawl played out a 1-1 draw against the Indian Arrows, NEROCA were battered 1-4 by Gokulam Kerala FC. Looking to put their woes behind, both teams would aim to grab points in an attempt to propel themselves into the top half of the I-League table.

Lapses in defence were exploited to the maximum by Gokulam Kerala FC against NEROCA and coach Gift Raikhan wants his team to improve their defence. "We need to defend as a team and be solid at the back. We cannot afford to be callous against Aizawl FC in defence because they can really punish us with their style of play," said Raikhan.

Aizawl missed a host of chances in their previous match against the Arrows thus missing out on taking three points from the match.

"We learnt a good lesson in the 1-1 draw against Indian Arrows. It taught us to not take things lightly and be focused until the end of the match. The lack of concentration cost us the points and we will not repeat this mistake again," said Aizawl head coach Yan Law.