Injury-ravaged East Bengal will have their task cut out when they take on Mumbai City FC in an ISL-XI match in Mumbai on Friday.
The injury list is growing daily. Saul Crespo, Anwar Ali, Mohammed Rakip, Provat Lakra were already on the list.
Defender Hijazi Maher, who scored the winner against Kerala Blasters last week, and forward Cleiton Silva are the new additions.
To add to coach Oscar Bruzon’s woes, Jeakson Singh will miss the Mumbai City match due to suspension.
Maher suffered a knee injury and could be ruled out for the rest of the season and Silva, who is nursing a groin injury, is also staring at the lengthy time out from action.
In this scenario, Bruzon will once again have to rejig. Nandhakumar Sekar, who makes a comeback after a one-game suspension, is likely to play as the right-back, while Hector Yuste will man the central defence.
East Bengal are currently placed 11th with 17 points from as many matches and cannot afford to lose any more points if they harbour any hope of making it to the top-six.
“Balance is the most important thing now. I am working on that. With so many injuries, we need to keep calm and balance,” Bruzon said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Amidst the gloom, new signing Venezuelan Richard Celis’s seamless integration into Bruzon’s scheme of things is the lone bright spot.
Celis was asked about adapting to the team. The midfielder said that was because of the club’s welcoming environment, the players and the coaching staff.
“From the first day, they have given me a lot of confidence, and that has been fundamental for me to adapt to the rhythm and style of football here,” he said.
The 28-year-old Celis said he did not know much about Indian football before joining the red and gold brigade. “(Compatriot) Miku (played for Bengaluru FC some seasons back) had shared positive experiences about the league.
Mumbai City, who won the ISL trophy last season, are struggling this year. They returned to winning ways with a 3-0 triumph against Mohammedan Sporting last week. They are placed sixth.