Guwahati, Jan 10 (PTI) Mohun Bagan Super Giant would look to assert their dominance over arch-rivals East Bengal in the Indian Super League (ISL) when they face each other on Saturday in a match which has been shifted here owing to inadequate security arrangements in Kolkata.
The change in venue comes after the Bidhannagar Police in Kolkata, under whose jurisdiction the original match venue Salta Lake Stadium falls, cited concerns over inadequate security because of the Gangasagar Mela from January 10 to 18.
Mohun Bagan have won eight out of the nine encounters between the two teams in ISL history, with East Bengal yet to record a victory.
East Bengal have struggled in terms of scoring, having netted only five goals in this fixture. Their form has also been patchy this season, registering two wins in their last five games, which has seen them placed at 11th in the points table.
Mohun Bagan are sitting comfortably at the top of the table on 32 points with 10 wins from 14 matches. Their attacking unit, led by Dimitrios Petratos, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Jamie Maclaren, and Jason Cummings has been one of the most relentless in the league.
Additionally, the Mariners have been solid defensively.
With both teams eyeing important points, Mohun Bagan will be looking to maintain their unbeaten streak, while East Bengal will be hoping to break their arch-rivals’ stronghold and avoid another loss.
East Bengal will have to discover a way to break down the cohesiveness in the Mariners’ passing patterns to not let them dictate the flow of the proceedings.
The Mariners will be targeting their fourth league double against East Bengal in the ISL.
Mohun Bagan head coach Jose Molina played down their impressive track record against East Bengal FC in the ISL.
“What we did in the ISL so far doesn’t matter in tomorrow’s game. We need to perform well, defeat them in the 90 minutes tomorrow on the pitch. We need to optimise our resources,” he said.
East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon backed his players to perform well in the Kolkata Derby.
“We have to optimise the resources that are available to us and we have full confidence in the players who will take the field to play in the Kolkata Derby,” he said. PTI PDS PDS AT AT
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