Calcutta: East Bengal start as firm favourites when they face Mohammedan Sporting in a CFL Premier Division match, at the Barasat Stadium, on Sunday.
Now at the top of the CFL points table with 10 points from four matches, East Bengal are drawing strength from their brilliant come-from-behind win over Army XI the other day. Down 0-2 at half-time, the red and gold brigade staged a remarkable turnaround getting three goals in the next 45 minutes.
Mohammedan Sporting, on the other hand, lost two points in their last match. Held by Southern Samity, it was not a build-up coach Mridul Banerjee would have wanted to have. They now have eight points from four matches, but a victory on Sunday - which seems very unlikely - can see them go past East Bengal on the points table.
East Bengal coach Biswajit Bhattacharjee may tinker with the team that started against Army XI. There is a possibility that Deepak Mondal could make way for Arnab Mondal. Deepak, a senior pro, was very tentative in the first half when Army XI got two goals. So it will be interesting to see if Arnab gets a start on Sunday.
On match-eve, East Bengal did not have a strenuous practice session. Just a little bit of limbering-up. "It's a gruelling schedule. What's the point in having strenuous practice sessions on match-eve," coach Bhattacharjee said at the pre-match media conference.
Ranty Martins will not start once again, but could be on the bench. That is not a worry for East Bengal at this moment since one Do Dong Hyun is in superb form. The South Korean is already a fan-favourite, thanks to his skill and the five goals he got in the last two matches.
It's Dong who holds the key on Sunday. If he delivers East Bengal won't have any problem. But then you cannot expect him to bail out East Bengal day in and day out.
Also, the artificial turf of the Barasat Stadium may not suit his style. "Turf will be a problem. Even though we had some practice sessions at the Barasat Stadium, it would be a out first match there. So it's natural that players are a bit apprehensive," he said.
Mohammedan Sporting are hoping that the young players will do something similar to what they did against Mohun Bagan. One-man down, they fought valiantly to snatch a point. But then, those days Bagan did not have someone called Dudu Omagbemi. So how this young team deals with Dong on Sunday remains to be seen.
Mohammedan Sporting coach Banerjee sounded confident . "They are motivated to do well on Sunday. Against Southern Samity, we made some mistakes and the boys know that. I am expecting a better show from them."
Banerjee said nobody thought his team would have eight points from four matches. "That's an achievement. Everyone said Mohammedan Sporting have no chance this season. But we are there in the hunt. These boys know the significance of playing a big match."
Mohammdan Sporting's Nurudeen Olawale can pose a few problems for the East Bengal defence. Rana Gharami is another player who can surprise East Bengal with his runs down the flanks. That East Bengal are taking him seriously could be gauged when Bhattacharjee spoke highly about the youngster.
"He got a great goal the other day. I just hope he doesn't get one on Sunday." For those with a statistical bend of mind, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting have faced each other 132 times in the CFL. East Bengal have won 68 times, while Mohammedan Sporting have been victorious 29 times. Thirty-five matches have been drawn .
