East Bengal hope to paint town red & gold
Premeditated or not, once again we have a Federation Cup semifinal featuring East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
Premeditated or not, once again we have a Federation Cup semifinal featuring East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.
Though Mohun Bagan striker Jose Barreto said that he knew they would be facing East Bengal in the semifinals and that he has been preparing himself since getting to know about the fixtures, the same can’t be said about East Bengal.
It has been a slow revival for the red and gold brigade since losing 3-5 to Mohun Bagan on October 25. Their performances were indifferent in the local league as well but finally they have found some momentum in the Federation Cup here.
Not conceding a goal augurs well for a side that has suffered for fielding an inconsistent defence in the I-League so far. But they haven’t been prolific either. Among all the semi-finalists, East Bengal has scored the lowest number of goals in the group stages — two, courtesy Yusif Yakubu against Salgaocar and a late goal by Bhaichung Bhutia in the last group encounter against JCT.
Nevertheless, it has been a remarkably better performance and that would keep East Bengal simmering with hope. Coach Philippe De Ridder conceded Mohun Bagan are a more balanced team but added that spirit-wise, East Bengal couldn’t be surpassed.
The Belgian though is banking on the defence, and rightly so. “East Bengal lately has been defending very well and it could work in our favour, considering the fact that we have to contend with the likes of Barreto and Edeh Chidi,” De Ridder said. Frustrating Chidi and Barreto and then capitalising on Mohun Bagan’s mistakes seems to be the best strategy for East Bengal now.
Opponent coach Karim Bencherifa also seemed aware of East Bengal’s tactics. “There can be no overconfidence in a match like this but the absence of players like Renedy Singh is an advantage,” Bencherifa said. Comparisons were bound to be drawn with the October 25 match but the Moroccan replied the same performance can’t be repeated over and over again.
“The important thing is to remember the positives, like scoring five goals. But we also conceded three,” he said.
Mohun Bagan are likely to go in with the same XI that won 2-0 against Mahindra United. East Bengal though won’t get Harmanjot Khabra due to a double booking in the last match against JCT. Syed Rahim Nabi — who hasn’t got a start in the tournament yet — is tipped to fill in for Khabra.
Mehrajuddin Wadoo will again start as sweeper with Sanju Pradhan and Mehtab Hossain infront of him in the central midfield. Bhutia who has scored 26 goals so far in the event so far, might get a late start. The 33-year-old, after having missed the previous derby, however aims for a different target.
“If we reach the finals, that would allow us to play in the AFC Cup next year,” the India skipper said. For that to happen, East Bengal first need to win against Mohun Bagan.