No other game in Indian football mobilises and generates excitement among so many people and a whole state, as much as a clash between century-old rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal. The buzz in Kolkata is palpable.
For the record, Mohun Bagan have a hundred percent record from the two games they have played so far in Group A and are sitting pretty on the top and with an embarrassment of footballing riches to boot.
East Bengal on the other hand, in their only game so far, drew 2-2 against a Bangladesh Army side who did not score in any of their other two games. They have a new coach and new set of players who assembled just before the start of the tournament and have not won a derby for over four years now.
The two teams had a pre-match presser and here is what Carles Cuadrat, the East Bengal gaffer had to say on the importance of the derby among other things, “We understand the value of this Derby. It will be a fantastic game with some fantastic atmosphere. We will give our best. We don’t have the full squad but our practice is going well. Our guys are really hard working. We are trying to build a team for the future. The management is good. So we are expecting to put up a fight tomorrow and try to win.”
Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando also acknowledged the importance of the game saying among other things, “Derby is always a different match. We have to give our best tomorrow and get three points to go to the next round. Mohun Bagan is a big club so we have to be prepared for the CFL , Durand Cup , and AFC Cup. This time East Bengal has some good players. Mandar is a good player. In my opinion we have a quality side so we have to make the best decision. We hope that we will do good tomorrow.”
So even as Mohun Bagan therefore go into the game as clear favourites, as the coaches made it aptly clear in as many words, all records and data will be put behind on Saturday by fans and players alike, as they focus on the task ahead, which is to win in the season’s first derby.
Source: Army Authorities
Report- Pratyusha Mukherjee
