East Bengal captain Bhaichung Bhutia practises with teammates Syed Rahim Nabi and Martial at the Howrah Municipal Stadium on Friday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: It’s going to be a test between a team, suddenly pitchforked into the pole position, and another whose resurgence under the new coach can be compared to the rise of mythological Phoenix from the ashes.

Saturday’s National Football League (NFL) Derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake Stadium, thus, have some more connotations than mere traditional rivalry. Mahindra United’s sudden fall from the grace ? despite the presence of Jose Ramirez Barreto and Yusif Yakubu ? has catapulted East Bengal to a position of strength from claiming the ONGC Cup is not at all an untenable option.

Two defeats and a draw at the Cooperage saw the Mumbai outfit passing the leaders’ baton to East Bengal (21 points from 10 matches).

Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, have been a sheer surprise in the league. Not many days ago, they were down in the dumps, struggling to keep their prestige intact. Then Biswajit Bhattacharya took over from Jahar Das and the team underwent a magical transformation. Four wins on the trot since then not only pulled the team out of the relegation threat, they are, in fact, now very much in title contention with 17 points off 11 outings.

This is what is making Bhattacharya focus on the importance of a win on Saturday. “A win will surely make us look at the crown,” he said on the match-eve.

For this to happen, his team, however, has to get past a hurdle and no marks for guessing that it is called Bhaichung Bhutia. The India captain is the man on a mission, having found the target eight times, one less than Ranty Martins. No wonder, Biswajit said it all after the team’s practice on Friday: “Bhaichung is the key man and he will have to be kept under strict vigil.”

He, however, is confident that his boys will be able to curb the Sikkimese’ movements. “We were successful in blocking Dudu (Omagbemi) too,” he said after the two-hour practice session.

Sanjeev Maria, who will have to shoulder extra responsibility in the Mohun Bagan defence in absence of Eduardo Coelho (out for double booking), maintained that he will be facing a new challenge while keeping a tab on Bhaichung. “Bhaichung is playing like a champion at the moment and so it is a big test for me, but I hope to pass it with distinction,” Maria said.

Mohun Bagan’s key to success will depend heavily on their midfielders ? Mehtab Hussain, Dharamjit Singh, Noel Wilson and Coffi Agbessi ? who have a slight edge over their arch-rivals’ Sasthi Duleys, Shylo Malsawmtluangas and Guy Ndem Herves.

East Bengal coach Philippe de Ridder, meanwhile, admitted that Mike Okoro’s absence will be a loss for the side, but also hinted that the matter could have been resolved in a better way. “Okoro’s absence will be a loss, and I think the matter could have been handled with professionalism,” the Belgian said after his team’s hour-long practice session at the Howrah Stadium on Friday.

Gouranga Dutta will partner Bhaichung upfront while Debabrata Roy will sit out with double booking.

Considering the recent string of success for both teams, a fierce competition is on the cards. And both Biswajit and De Ridder have ruled out any complacency factor going into the match. “We have been playing well of late, so, the team is not suffering from any complacency,” De Ridder said. Biswajit corroborated it saying, “there will be no let-ups against East Bengal”.

The Mohun Bagan coach also felt that the Derby clash is “always a 50-50 match” and no one starts favourites.

Okoro letter

Meanwhile, East Bengal striker Mike Okoro has confirmed his participation in practice sessions from Monday onwards.

In a letter to the East Bengal secretary on Friday, Okoro had stated that due to his illness, he could not attend training sessions and promised to serve the club 'with all my heart out.”