East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will depend on the scoring prowess of Edmilson Marques (top) and Bhaichung Bhutia. Telegraph pictures

Calcutta: It will be a battle with a difference when Mohun Bagan and East Bengal clash at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. For a change, both former three-time champions will have an eye on survival rather than the summit.

Unlike the season’s three previous derby duels, the sparks are not flying this time around. Both camps are uncharacteristically subdued, no doubt influenced by the position they are in right now.

Mohun Bagan, with eight points, are a point ahead of their city rivals going into the eighth-round clash of the ONGC I-League. With Dempo and JCT leading the standings (18 points each), the Calcutta giants will basically try to consolidate their position at the middle of the table.

East Bengal coach Subrata Bhattacharya is facing a defence-related problem with Kenyan Julius Ohino’s ITC coming too late for him to be eligible for the Sunday contest.

“Ohino was very much part of my strategy. We committed some silly mistakes in the rearguard in our previous matches and the Kenyan’s availability would have plugged the holes to some extent,” Bhattacharya said on Saturday.

The red-and-golds will be strengthened by Surkumar Singh’s return in the right back position, but Muttiah Suresh and McDonald Mukansi will sit out with injuries. Anupam Sarkar will pair with M. Bolaji in deep defence.

Bhattacharya, a former India defender and veteran of countless derbies, is not sure if such a makeshift back line will be able to counter rival captain Bhaichung Bhutia’s predatory skills.

Running through Bhattacharya’s minds were images of the 1974 Durand Cup when he and Nimai Goswami thwarted the star-studded East Bengal line-up. Ulganathan scored the winner in that semi-final clash and went on to smash a hattrick against JCT to help Mohun Bagan lift the title.

Bhattacharya, after Saturday’s practice, urged his players to show similar resilience. “Derbies may have undergone a sea-change since my days but the passion and pride of playing such matches remain the same. I need the same passion in my boys tomorrow,” he said.

Mohun Bagan coach Carlos Roberto Pereira may not have any serious worry over players’ availability, but his self-created mystery over Jose Ramirez Barreto could be a ploy to exploit East Bengal’s fragmented defence.

The Brazilian playmaker’s presence during practice was limited only to some running and spending a few minutes with the coach. Neither Pereira nor Bhaichung revealed anything concrete on Barreto playing on Sunday, though he looked to have recovered from his hamstring injury.

“I’m not thinking about any individual player. To me, Mohun Bagan will play against East Bengal. The team is in an upbeat mood and the players know a win tomorrow will help us turn things around,” Pereira pointed out.

Although the Mohun Bagan have conceded 14 goals in seven matches, the Brazilian coach stood by his defenders. He stressed on the importance of the midfielders firing.

In the absence of Alvito D’Cunha, East Bengal also need viable alternatives. Mehtab Hussain could be one of the solutions. He’s far from the scintillating form he was in last season (in Mohun Bagan colours).

The remodelled National League has thrown up cut-throat competition, and both teams have been found wanting in producing that sharp edge needed to challenge the Goan rivals.

Bhattacharya’s reliance on history or Carlos’s mystery over Barreto notwithstanding, Sunday will see the Big Two launch mission redemption.

HEAD TO HEAD

East Bengal hold a pronounced edge in head-to-head meetings with Mohun Bagan in the National Football League (now called the I-League). While the red-and-golds have won 10 of the 20 clashes, the green-and-maroons have triumphed just 5 times. Following is the list of their clashes in India’s premier club competition:

January 6, 1998 — Mohun Bagan bt East Bengal 2-1
March 4, 1998 — East Bengal drew Mohun Bagan 0-0
March 2, 1999 — East Bengal drew Mohun Bagan 1-1
March 10, 1999 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 2-0
January 3, 2000 — Mohun Bagan bt East Bengal 1-0
March 22, 2000 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 3-1
February 17, 2001 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 1-0
April 10, 2001 — East Bengal drew Mohun Bagan 0-0
December 16, 2001 — Mohun Bagan bt East Bengal 1-0
March 11, 2002 — Mohun Bagan bt East Bengal 1-0
December 8, 2002 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 2-0
February 25, 2003 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 2-1
January 22, 2004 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 2-1
April 25, 2004 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 2-1
January 12, 2005 — East Bengal drew Mohun Bagan 0-0
April 24, 2005 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 1-0
January 22, 2006 — East Bengal drew Mohun Bagan 0-0
April 8, 2006 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 3-1
February 27, 2007 — East Bengal bt Mohun Bagan 1-0
April 15, 2007 — Mohun Bagan bt East Bengal 2-1

Compiled by Hari Prasad Chattopadhyay