Mohun Bagan seeks home comfort against in-form Shivajians

DSK Shivajians is on a hot streak as it is unbeaten in its last six matches, including two brilliant victories against Sporting Goa and Kingfisher East Bengal and a gallant display against Bengaluru FC in its last home fixture.

DSK Shivajians coach Derrick Perreira (L) and defender Sandesh Jhingan at the pre-match press conference.

Mohun Bagan returns to Barasat Stadium to face a buoyant DSK Shivajians after a torrid time on the road as it managed to pick up a solitary point in its last three matches in the I-League.

Its counterpart, however, is on a hot streak as it is unbeaten in its last six matches, including two brilliant victories against Sporting Goa and Kingfisher East Bengal and a gallant display against Bengaluru FC in its last home fixture.

Derrick Pereira credited the performance to his players, including a switch in personnel. He said, "You can see how my players have stepped up to the mark and the performance is there for everyone to see. The return of Subrata Paul from injury, and the addition of Sandesh Jhingan really seems to have clicked."

Asier Dipanda Dica, who has already scored 6 goals in the I-League so far, will be starting up front while Jhingan will continue at the heart of the defence. The addition of Baljit Sahni has also given an extra boost to DSK Shivajians attack while Douhou Pierre will look to dictate the game from midfield.

Meanwhile, the Mariners' head coach Sanjoy Sen is also set to return to the touchline after serving out his 4-match ban. He, however, made it clear that there was no question of underestimating his opponents. "I think DSK are one of the strongest teams in the Hero I-League. Look at their current form, they are unbeaten in their last six matches. And if you look at their performance, they were brilliant against Kingfisher East Bengal and actually deserved to win against Bengaluru FC in their last match."

On the question of Sony Norde, who missed the last match due to an injury, Sen said that the Haitian had trained with the team and would be playing a part in the encounter, even if not from the start. Jeje Lalpekhlua and Cornell Glen will reprise their roles up front, with Katsumi Yusa looking to pull the strings from midfield.

Sen concluded by saying that they only had one goal tomorrow. "We have to push ourselves for a win tomorrow and hopefully we can accomplish our goal."

Although the Mariners are on top, tied with Bengaluru on 26 points, they have played a game more and a win is a must if they want to maintain the pressure on Kingfisher East Bengal and Bengaluru FC in the title race.

For Derrick Pereira's men, however, it's finishing with aplomb and in a Federation Cup spot like the former Pune FC boss said.