Rookie striker Akum Ao (left) and Noel Kasak gear up at the Mohun Bagan ground on Wednesday, on the eve of their clash versus Salgaocar. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Three-time champions Mohun Bagan may not be in the title-race for the National Football League (NFL) now. But they are out to draw motivation from their arch-rivals East Bengal when they take on Salgaocar on Thursday.

Coach Aloke Mukherjee has revealed that part of his strategy will be plucked from the way the current NFL leaders bludgeoned the Goan team in their previous match. “To me Climax Lawrence is the key man in the Salgaocar midfield. Most of their attacks originate from him. I’ve noticed how Subhas Bhowmick had nipped their attacks in the bud by marking Climax on Sunday. That way East Bengal were able to destroy the Salgaocar midfield and won the match comfortably,” Aloke, who had watched that match from the gallery, said on Wednesday.

East Bengal whipped Salgaocar 3-1 in a dramatic match in which Salgaocar’s Felix Ibrebu and Bello Rassaq as well as the red-and-gold defender Dipak Mondal were sent off.

Aloke also revealed that he would adopt a 4-4-2 formation with Ashim Biswas likely to be paired with Assamese striker Akum Ao. In the backline, though Leonardo is back, but Sanjeev Maria remains a doubtful starter. The playmaker Basudeb Mondal didn’t attend the morning practice owing to the rituals regarding his father’s death. But the coach said he would figure in the squad.

In the first leg, Mohun Bagan lost to the Goan rivals 0-1, but that match assumed special significance as it turned out to be Jose Ramirez Barreto’s last outing in the green-and-maroon colours.

Salgaocar coach Savio Madiera, meanwhile, admitted the unavailability of Rassaq and Felix would be a huge blow.

“They are crucial players and their absence means a lot,” Madiera said. “As a result, we’ll take a cautious approach to the match and bank on counter attacks,” he added.

The Salgaocar coach also informed that Barreto’s absence would be a big factor. “He was a great player and his mere presence would have made hell lot of a difference for any team,” he said of the Brazilian.

Madiera, however, made no bones about picking Indian striker Ashim as “the man to watch” in the Mohun Bagan camp. “He is the key. We can’t allow him to play freely and will man-mark him”.

Samson Singh is likely to be Jules Aliba’s partner upfront while Raymonds is also available.

Salgaocar have so far garnered 17 points from 12 matches while Mohun Bagan are on 15.

Incidentally, the IFA’s decision to change the kick-off time from 2.30 pm to 3 pm at the Salt Lake Stadium comes into effect with the Mohun Bagan-Salgaocar match.