Kolkata:
Unbeaten Mohun Bagan will be bolstered by the return of ace forward Sony Norde when they take on a struggling East Bengal in a high voltage I-League derby at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday.
Having served a one-match suspension, the Haitian striker will be back to assist Katsumi Yusa and Pierre Boya, making it a terrific threesome attack against a team whose defensive woes has been the story of the season so far.
East Bengal’s dodgy defence cost them Federation Cup and the aftermath saw the exit of highly successful Goan coach Armando Colaco.
As Eelco Schattorie looks forward to his first derby outing, the Dutchman would be doubly cautious for sure and it remains to be seen how the likes of Robert Lalthlamuana, Milan Susak, Arnab Mondal and captain Harmanjyot Singh Khabra rise to the challenge.
As far as the East Bengal attack is concerned, Ranti Martins lead the charts with 12 goals, something that also show the team’s over dependence on the Nigerian in the attack which also has Dudu Omagbemi.
To the delight of Mohun Bagan fans, their reliable central defender Bello Rasaq may just recover from his twisted ankle in time as he had a light work out.
Anwar Ali is likely to assist the Nigerian in central defence while Kinghshuk Debnath and Sukhen Dey may play in the right and left back positions respectively.
