Kolkata: East Bengal will take on I-League and Federation Cup holders Churchill Brothers in a round 17 clash of the I-League at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday evening.
It will only be East Bengal’s 12th match of this I-League season, so they do have plenty of games in hand, but the red-and-gold brigade cannot afford too many more slip-ups as they have already dropped 15 points.
The I-League break turned out to be a mixed bag for the Kolkata giants as they picked up the local league title but missed out on the Federation Cup and the IFA Shield.
More importantly they had as many as 15 fixtures during the near two-month break and were therefore overworked compared to the other title contenders.
On the other hand, the interval proved to be a blessing in disguise for Churchill Brothers as they lifted the club’s first-ever Federation Cup crown in Kochi while new foreigners Anthony Wolfe and Christian Lagos were signed.
The Goan club resumed their campaign last week with a vital 1-0 win over Rangdajied United FC on home soil.
The result moved the Red Machines out of the rock-bottom spot but they need a good run of results to stay clear of relegation. Churchill are currently in 11th place, with East Bengal in eighth. (Agencies)