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In what is billed as one of the biggest football derbies in world football, let alone Indian football, Kolkata giants East Bengal are set to face archrivals Mohun Bagan in the first Kolkata Derby of the 12th I-League at the Saltlake Stadium on Sunday, December 16 with all to play for.
Both teams have nine points from six games so far and need the win desperately to revive title hopes. The game is scheduled for a 5pm IST kick-off.
East Bengal, the official home team for Sunday, and their rivals Mohun Bagan, are at seventh and eighth respectively in the I-League standings, a position their fanatical support base is not used to.
The Red and Golds go into the game with the upper hand, having won more games and scored more goals than their archrivals. Striker Joby Justin has been in roaring form for the home side, having netted four goals so far. However, East Bengal have had a rather leaky defence, conceding two more than Mohun Bagan, something that Green and Maroons gaffer Sankarlal Chakraborty will look to exploit on Sunday.
Shankarlal’s counterpart Alejandro Menendez Garcia played down the loss of Mexican striker Enrique Esqueda to injury in the pre-game presser, stating, “The team is good, confident and the training is going according to plan after the last win. Yes, we lost the player, but now we have to think only about the players who are available.”
He added, “We want to win this match for our supporters. We want to do this for them. The derby sentiment is the same everywhere, be it in Kolkata or Spain. One week before the El Classico, people start talking about it. It’s the same in Kolkata.”
Former champions Mohun Bagan too will have to deal with the loss of star winger Sony Norde, who is also injured. Coach Chakraborty ruled the Haitian out of Sunday’s clash in the pre-match chat. He said, “Sony is an important player for us, but we have won without him before. Yes, we’ll miss Sony, but also Pintu and Sukhdev. We have discussed a lot about our defensive lapses and hope to correct them tomorrow. This is the charm of the league. Yes, we are unbeaten in last seven derbies, but it’s a new challenge tomorrow.”
An East Bengal-Mohun Bagan clash historically has very little to do with players who are missing, and all to do with the 22 on the field, and the plethora of vociferous fans thronging the stands. The best have succumbed under the pressure and it is fair to say that the side that handles the pressure-cooker atmosphere better will reap the rewards.
A win for either side however, is sure to raise the confidence of the team manifold and will then make them serious contenders for the title. It is sure to be a nerve-wracker at the Saltlake Stadium on Sunday.
