On form, it146;s easy to call

Even otherwise, however, JCT could have afforded to relax. Mahindra are in the last four, courtesy some upsets other teams had pulled off. Though they can draw some confidence from the second half of their last quarter-final league match against defending champions Churchill Brothers.

Coach Derek Pereira had rested Edeh Chidi, Sukhwinder Singh, Mohd Rafi and Douhous Pierre in the first half of the match on Tuesday, but brought them onto the field after the team were trailing against a 10-man Churchill. It was only then could they escape with a draw.

8220;Having already qualified for the semi-finals going into the match against Churchill Brothers, I took the risk of resting them. It gave me a chance to test my bench strength,8221; Pereira said.

Let alone making a reality check on the bench strength, the strategy almost cost him the match. There is no scope for any such experimentation on Thursday. 8220;We weren8217;t playing to share the honours, neither were we playing to lose. So those changes were necessary and we ended up playing the best football of the tournament so far. Earlier we had done well in patches, but yesterday, we completely dominated the second half,8221; he added.

Picking targets

8216;All8217;s well that ends well8217; might be Pereira8217;s mantra for the time being, but he has further plans for his favoured opponents on Thursday. 8220;They are a very young side and have been one of the best in the tournament. Eduardo, Baljit, Baldeep, Anwar and Julius are the players we have to guard against,8221; said Pereira.

His counterpart Sukhwinder Singh8217;s outlook suggested a tinge of complacency, as he sat in front of TV, watching some Bollywood stuff. But then his team have had an outstanding run in this year8217;s Durand. Even without their all-win record, JCT have looked like the team to beat.

But he makes it clear he is not complacent and doesn8217;t see his team as the favourites. 8220;This is the knockout stage and the all-win record isn8217;t going to serve the purpose here. All four teams are deserving and no one can be said to have the upper hand,8221; Singh said.

In this one-match situation, though, Baldeep Singh Senior8217;s absence in the mid-field might give him a headache. 8220;Baldeep didn8217;t practice today and wouldn8217;t play tomorrow. He8217;s has scored three goals in three matches and will be definitely missed,8221; Singh added.

Though he kept the cards close to his chest, he did give a hint of strengthening his midfield. 8220; Baljeet Sahni, Jaspreet Singh, Jaswinder Singh and Baldeep Singh junior will be our mainstays while Gurwinder Singh will be playing for Baldeep senior,8221; he signed off while preparing to go for prayers.