India’s oldest and biggest rivalry reignites once again in the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneshwar. Mohun Bagan Supergiant and East Bengal, who have both had unbeaten runs in the 2024 Super Cup so far, will want to extend that streak on January 19.
Though the bigger goal for both the teams remain becoming Super Cup champions for the first time ever, a victory in the Kolkata derby will definitely be a close second.
The last time the two sides faced off against each other was in the Calcutta Football League on November 30 2023, where the team in yellow and red came out in top with a 3-0 scoreline. But one must not forget that the November 30th fixture featured only second string sides. Therefore, the Durand Cup final on September 30 where both teams played to its full strength is a more representative fixture, in which Mohun Bagan won 1-0.
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The fixture on Friday will be the first time ever the two rivals will meet in the Super cup. Going by the form the two sides have shown in the ISL, Mohun Bagan, who currently sit 5th on the table should have the upper-hand against East Bengal, who are only 8th.
But however, the Super cup has been a completely different story when compared to the ISL so far. For instance, Jamshedpur FC who have not had the best of ISL seasons to say the least, became the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of the Super cup when it beat Kerala Blasters 3-2. This element of unpredictability that the Super cup always brings is expected to continue come the Kolkata Derby.
Because of the AFC Asian Cup, all the ISL teams have had to contend without key players, and Mohun Bagan have been the most affected- a total of 7 of its players are part of the Indian squad at the AFC Asian Cup, which includes wingers Sahal Abdul Samad and Anirudh Thapa, who have both been pivotal to the team’s success this season. The team has managed to perform without them so far, thanks to the Super League allowing six foreigners in the starting lineup. The four goals the Mariners have scored so far have all come from its foreign exports- two by Dimitri Petratos, and one each for Jason Cummings.
Petratos has been Mohun Bagan’s main man so far, scoring the majority of the goals | Photo Credit: Vipin Pawar/Focus Sports/ ISL
While Sadiku did not start in the last game against Sreenidi Deccan, he is expected to comeback for the Derby in place of Suhail Bhat. Some changes in the midfield is possible, as two different sets of Indian players were used in the two games , but caretaker manager Clifford Miranda is unlikely to tinker with the three man backline, with the returning Brendan Hamill and Hector Yuste forming the core.
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East Bengal, much like Mohun Bagan, have relied on its two foreign exports- Cleiton Silva and Javier Siverio. Silva has scored two goals so far, while Siverio has scored one, stepping up in the absence of regular Naorem Mahesh Singh who is part of the national team.
East Bengal’s hopes hinges on the form of its Spanish striker Cleiton Silva | Photo Credit: Shibu Preman / Focus Sports / ISL
While manager Carles Cuadrat has been happy about the team’s performances so far, he also emphasised on the importance of closing out games. This responsibilty will fall on the shoulders of the wingbacks Nishu Kumar and Mohamad Rakip, who will feature in a likely unchanged four line defense. Saul Crespo, much like he has in the last two games, is expected to dictate terms in the midfield.
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