After a disappointing run in the Kalinga Super Cup, Mohun Bagan is back in action in the second phase of the Indian Super League 2023–24 season. The return is special because the Mariners are facing arch-rival East Bengal this weekend for their league opener. At the start of the regular season, Mohun Bagan faced East Bengal in Group A of the 132nd edition of the Durand Cup and lost by a narrow margin. But they came back hard and defeated them in the final to clinch the title for the record 17th time.
These two rivals faced each other again for the third time of the season in the Kalinga Super Cup, but Mohun Bagan lost the match. So officially, this is the fourth encounter of the season and the first Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League 2023–24.
Under the leadership of Antonio López Habas, the Mohun Bagan senior team is doing close-door preparation for the Kolkata Derby after returning to Kolkata from Bhubaneswar. Manager Habas, assistant coaches Manuel Cascallana and Clifford Miranda, and strength and conditioning coach Sergi Morera closely monitor the team’s development day by day. Players are engaged in both morning and afternoon sessions.
The head coach also called on the development team players to join practice with the main team. As a result, Raj Basfore, Amandeep, and Dippendu Biswas registered for the senior squad of the ISL.
On the other hand, after a trembling start, East Bengal manager Carles Cuadrat organised his team. After a steady start in the Indian Super League, East Bengal won its first national-level trophy after 12 long years.
So, we can expect a competitive encounter.
Positive Things:
Currently, the biggest hope is the availability of Anwar Ali and Sahal Abdul Samad. Anwar got injured in the AFC Cup match against the Bashundhara Kings on October 24, 2023, and Sahal received a knock from Ahmed Jahouh on December 6, 2023. Both have recovered and have been doing training since the start of January 2024. They are expected to start the ISL Kolkata Derby. Along with that, the players who were unavailable for the Supar Cup Derby due to the national team camp for the AFC Asian Cup also joined the squad.
Matter of concern:
Liston Colaco, who received a red card against Mumbai City FC, won’t play due to suspension.
In the last few matches, the defence line looked quite shaky, and we failed to keep clean sheets. Coach Habas needs to fix this issue. There are injury concerns about Asish Rai. He may miss the Kolkata Derby.
Head to Head
Matches played: 379
Mohun Bagan won: 127
East Bengal won: 131
Drawn: 121
Next Match: 3rd February, 2024
Line-up Prediction:
Kick off Time: 7:30PM(IST)
Live telecast/streaming: JioCinema, Sports18 3, DD Bangla, OneFootball(International)
Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
