Kolkata: Former I-League winners Mohun Bagan are all set to lock horns against East Bengal in the title deciding contest of the Calcutta Football League at the Kanchenjunga Stadium on Sunday. While a draw will be enough for the Red and Gold brigade, it is a do-or-die match for the Green and Maroons and only a victory can lead them to the title after seven long years.
Both the teams are tied at 22 points after eight games, but East Bengal lead the table courtesy a greater goal difference. The have scored a whopping 26 times while conceding only 5 and that includes a 5-0 rout of Tollygunge Agragami in their last match. Bagan on the other hand have also conceded 5 goals but have managed to score only 20 goals.
Interestingly, both the teams are undefeated in the league and have also drawn only one match each in the entire campaign- Mohun Bagan drew against Rainbows SC in the match that sparked the ‘penalty controversy’, while East Bengal drew against Mohammedan Sporting.
The Kolkata derby, which features in the FIFA classic derby list has been an intriguing contest in the past, drawing a huge number of audience and this year is no different.
East Bengal has been the more lethal team in the entire CFL this season scoring goals for fun and coach Khalid Jamil who led Aizwal to the I-League title in the last season is determined to keep the fans’ faces smiling with a victory in his first ever Kolkata derby.
“I don’t want a point. I want to win. If we lose, we finish second. I want to go for the kill,” said Jamil confidently.
Taking of his opponent on Sunday, Bagan coach Shankarlal Chakraborty however looked cautious as he said, “Each and every player of East Bengal is good. We have to be at our very best. Al Amna can make a very big contribution. He is a very intelligent player.”
Bagan will however take heart form the fact that they have remained undefeated in the last two meetings between the two. They beat East Bengal 2-1 in one, before a goalless draw in the final derby of the previous season at the same venue, as on Sunday.
East Bengal will miss the services of VP Suhair, who scored a hat-trick in the opening match of the CFL this season. The combination of Al Amnah and Willis Plaza will once again be vital for the defending champions as they eye their eight consecutive title.
Mohun Bagan have been equally dependent on the foreign combination of of Kamo and Kromah to pull them out of tough situations. Midfielder Shilton d’Silva has also been vital cog for the team linking up brilliantly with Kamo up front.
It is definitely going to be an epic clash between the two Kolkata giants on Sunday.