The oldest football rivalry of India will see its fourth edition of the season when Mohun Bagan Super Giant looks to regain bragging rights from East Bengal in their usual battleground, the Salt Lake Stadium, on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE KOLKATA DERBY LIVE HERE: MOHUN BAGAN VS EAST BENGAL LIVE SCORE, ISL 10 UPDATES
Fresh from its triumph in the Kalinga Super Cup, where it comfortably beat its traditional rival in the group stage to reach the semifinals, East Bengal has considerably gained in strength compared to the Durand Cup final (in September last year) when it had lost to its footballing bête noir.
This is the first time the two city rivals are meeting in the Indian Super League – 10 (the first meeting scheduled on October 28 was postponed), which will make the contest even more absorbing in the context of their previous two ‘Cup’ events appearances.
While the previous two derbies saw the teams having the allowance of fielding six foreigners, the upcoming ISL fixture will have it reduced to four. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
MBSG is currently ranked fifth with 19 points from 10 matches while East Bengal is eighth with 11 from its 10 outings.
While the previous two derbies saw the teams having the allowance of fielding six foreigners, the upcoming ISL fixture will have it reduced to four.
Mohun Bagan, which played the Super Cup without seven of its Indian players who were called up for national duty at the AFC Asian Cup, will have a complete roster and thus will be a much bigger proposition compared to the previous avatar East Bengal had beaten.
Moreover, East Bengal’s successful coach Carles Cuadrat will have to find new strategies to contain its biggest rival, which will be appearing under its new coach Antonio Lopez Habas.
The veteran Spanish coach was recalled for his services after his younger compatriot Juan Ferrando lost faith in the team management, following its poor form in the AFC Cup qualifiers and three successive ISL outings.
Habas, who has two ISL titles under his belt with the now-defunct ATK, has promised to bring a new dimension to the performance of his struggling side.
“I am here to win, but we need to win step by step, it is important to win the next match, this is the idea that we have come up with.
“There are good players in both teams, but I don’t like to name one player above the other or put them against each other. For me, football is a collective sport,” Habas said.
East Bengal, which currently enjoys a 2-1 lead in the three meetings the two teams had this season, will have to recall its Super Cup form without two of its Spanish players in the attack – Borja Herrera and Javier Siverio – who have decided to switch allegiance to other ISL sides for the remainder of the season.
Habas, who has two ISL titles under his belt with the now-defunct ATK, has promised to bring a new dimension to the performance of his struggling side. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
East Bengal now has two new foreign recruits, Costa Rican striker Felicio Brown and Spanish midfielder Victor Vazquez, but they are yet to join the side.
It will also be missing its versatile midfielder Souvik Chakrabarti owing to suspension, giving Cuadrat more things to worry about.
“After a big win, you can lose concentration and we are working on that. However, I know I don’t have to ask for motivation from my players because they are totally focused and very motivated to play another big game against our opponent in the city,” Cuadrat said on the eve of the derby.
It will be a big challenge for Cuadrat as East Bengal looks for its first ISL win against Mohun Bagan SG, which has won all six meetings in the ISL so far.
Mohun Bagan has been rejoined by its Finnish attacking midfielder Joni Kauko, who returned to his country after suffering an ACL injury in November 2022, but the team is yet to include the Finland international in its roster.
Kauko is unlikely to be in the match and Habas will have to depend on the form and fitness of the team regulars like Australian Dimitri Petratos, Frenchman Hugo Boumous and Spaniard Hector Yuste among others.
The team also will be rejoined by the likes of Anwar Ali and Samad Abdul Samad, who are up for selection after a prolonged injury lay off.
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