Kolkata: Things look to have already heated up between the two arch-rivals East Bengal and Mohun Bagan before the all important Kolkata derby clash at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium on Sunday. Just days after Ansumana Kromah of the Mariners had criticised the Red and Gold Brigade defenders of being strong in the air but weaker on the ground, former Bagan player Eduardo Ferreira hit back asking the Mariners to prove themselves on the ground and not by mouth.
“I just wanna say that they are talking too much. If they want to do something, do that on the ground,” said Eduardo who will be donning the yellow jersey against his former team on Sunday, as quoted by the Xtratime.
Earlier Bagan midfielder Ansumana talking of the tough East Bengal defence had claimed that their defenders are vulnerable to quick counter-attacks and strong only on the air.
Interestingly Eduardo, who had earlier played alongside Bagan talisman Sony Norde will be playing beside another architect Al-Amnah in the derby and although he called both the players great, refused to compare between the two. “They both are good but have different playing styles. There should not be any comparison between the two. It will not be a battle between Al Amna and Norde. The entire Mohun Bagan attacking force is very dangerous and it will be a good contest,” he added.
Meanwhile, Norde lauded the Red and Gold defence for their strong performance against Bagan in the past. He said, “Kingfisher East Bengal’s defence can be very bad against some other team but against us they can become very good.”
He may be the main threat for the opposition in Sunday but Norde believes that there is enough quality in Bagan camp to ground the Red and Gold. “If Khalid Jamil sends 3-4 players to stop me, we have enough quality players to make a difference on some other side of the field,” he added.
A last minute lapse in defence saw Minerva snatch a last minute draw from the jaws of defeat against Bagan and although disappointed to not come home with all three points, Norde added that their performance in the previous match won’t affect the derby contest.
“We are ready to fight and let’s hope we keep on the momentum. Playing against them is different. We don’t play with Kingfisher East Bengal the same we play against Lajong for example,” he concluded.