East Bengal will face Mohun Bagan in Guwahati. (Photo: Indian Super League)
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will take on East Bengal in a much-anticipated Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League on Saturday. Due to security concerns, the match will take place at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.
A buoyant Mohun Bagan will be determined to steamroll their archrival given their brilliant form in the ISL this season. The Mariners have lost 2 and drawn two so far and have barely looked in trouble as they have emerged as one of the contenders for the ISL shield this time.
On the other hand, despite accumulating a very competitive squad, the Red and Golds have failed to put up an effective display on the field. Injuries to key players such as Saul Crespo and Madih Talal have hurt their ambitions and a win in this will definitely boost their confidence.
Oscar Bruzon’s side is currently languishing in the bottom three and in a major setback Anwar Ali has been ruled out of the derby. The Indian youngster has been the most consistent player for East Bengal and it remains to be seen how the manager copes without his star defender.
Mohun Bagan will also miss Anirudh Thapa in the derby but the Green and Maroons possess a very strong pool of players and manager Jose Molina shouldn’t have a problem fielding a competitive starting lineup.
Let’s have a look at East Bengal’s first Xi might look on Saturday.
East Bengal Predicted lineup (5-2-1-2): Prabhsukhan Gill (GK); Provat Lakra, Hijazi Maher, Hector Yuste, Lalchhungnunga, Naorem Mahesh; Jeakson Singh, Souvik Chakrabarti; Cleiton Silva; Dimitrios Diamantakos, David Lalhlansanga.
A five-man defence manned by Hijazi Maher and Hector Yuste in the heart of the backline can be fielded against Mohun Bagan. In the midfield, Souvik Chakrabarti and Jeakson Singh will have the responsibility to thwart Mohun Bagan attacks and feed more balls to the forwards. A two-man striking line comprised of Dimitrios Diamantakos and David Lalhlansanga could be potent options. Cleiton Silva will play the no.10 role.
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