East Bengal will be looking to break their winless record against ATK Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League (ISL) when the arch-rivals meet in a Kolkata Derby at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Saturday. The match starts at 7.30 PM IST. (More Football News)
East Bengal have had a hard time in the ISL. They finished ninth last season. In the ongoing season, the red and golds lie at the bottom of the 11-team league with just nine points from 13 games. Their only win came against FC Goa under new coach Mario Rivera.
The East Bengal vs AK Mohun Bagan Kolkata Derby will be live telecast on Star Sports 3, Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Bangla from 7.30 PM IST. The East Bengal vs AK Mohun Bagan can also be watched live on Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV.
Runners-up in the last edition, ATK Mohun Bagan started with a bang this season with two straight wins, including a 3-0 victory against East Bengal, before losing the plot. A series of winless encounters dropped the Mariners out of top four, triggering the resignation of then-head coach Antonio Lopez Habas’ resignation.
Juan Ferrando, who was coaching FC Goa, was roped in to save the sinking ship. Under Ferrando, ATK Mohun Bagan have won two games and shared spoils twice. On the other hand, Rivera was given the task to manage East Bengal in the New Year after the club fired Jose Manuel Diaz following an eight-game winless run.
The good news for East Bengal is the return of Antonio Perosevic after the Croatian was handed a five-game ban following his misconduct on the pitch against NorthEast United FC. The club also signed a Spanish midfielder Fran Sota in the January transfer window and will be available for selection on Saturday.
Among the local talents, all eyes will be on Naorem Mahesh after he scored both the goals in East Bengal’s only win of the season a few days back. They have also signed young striker Rahul Paswan for the remainder of the season.
For ATKMB, Roy Krishna will be the main man to watch out for besides the return of Hugo Boumous, who is coming back into the fold after serving a one-match suspension. Sandesh Jhingan is likely to start in the high-intensity clash while Tiri is set to make his 100th ISL appearance.
A win for eighth-placed ATKMB will bring them back into the four with 19 points, while if East Bengal manage to turn the tables, they will rise just a place above on 12 points. But more than anything else, it’s pride that matters on the day.
