East Bengal gear up for ‘grudge’ match
East Bengal and Churchill Brothers arrived for the semis later this week. Focus is on the derby on Thursday, and after the 3-5 spanking to Mohun Bagan on October 25, it remains to be seen how East Bengal look to fight the odds and make it to the final, their first since winning the Federation Cup in 2007, reports Somshuvra Laha.
East Bengal and Churchill Brothers arrived on Monday for the semis later this week. Focus is on the derby on Thursday, and after the 3-5 spanking to Mohun Bagan on October 25, it remains to be seen how East Bengal look to fight the odds and make it to the final, their first since winning the Federation Cup in 2007.
For coach Philippe de Ridder, not conceding a goal in the group stages has been one of the gains. "We regularly leaked goals before the Federation Cup and that has been tackled so far," he said.
"I don't want to highlight the fact that Thursday's match is another derby. But it will be a pressure match no doubt," de Ridder added. The coach, though, is yet to be satisfied by the team's condition. "We have had three hours of training so far in which the whole team participated and that isn't enough. There remain some injuries which are concerning," he said.
"Syed Rahim Nabi couldn't play because of a groin injury. Mehrajuddin Wadoo and Yusif Yakubu too have slight niggles," the Belgian informed as he went about inspecting the turf at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Bhaichung Bhutia was the centre of attraction for the onlookers. The 33-year-old may have proved a point after scoring the winning goal against JCT on Sunday but the man chose his words carefully when asked about the significance of another derby.
"Goals may or may not come. But I will concentrate on my game," said the India skipper.
Sanju Pradhan — scorer of the solitary goal in the Federation Cup semifinal against Mohun Bagan last year-— was more forthright in admitting that Thursday would be a grudge match. "For me, it's a revenge match and I hope we can win," said Pradhan.