Kolkata: Under-fire East Bengal will be desperate to snap a three-game losing streak when they take on resurgent Gokulam Kerala FC in an I-League encounter at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday.
The home team lost to defending champions Minerva Punjab FC in their last encounter, making it three losses on the trot and are languishing in eighth place in the points table with just six points from five games.
With the Kolkata derby against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan slated on December 16, Alejandro Menendez’s boys will be desperate to get back to their winning ways.
Coach Menendez remained defiant on the eve of the match, saying his team is doing well and he is happy with its performance. “The team is training really well. We have analysed all the matches and reviewed all the small mistakes. The team is doing well but we have some mistakes we will rectify.”
“We started well in the I-League and won difficult away matches. I already said that I am happy with the performance of the team,” he told reporters.
The city giants have been extremely poor with their midfield in shambles. The Spanish coach has used a total of eight players in midfield but he is yet to find the perfect combination even after five matches.
Coming to the visitors, Gokulam came back strongly by registering two wins and a draw in their last three matches. Placed fifth in the points table with nine points from six matches, the Malabarians, under the tutelage of experienced Indian coach Bino George, have displayed quality with their young Indian recruits playing well.
My players are young and they will give their best. Not thinking about the opponents,” coach Bino George said.
It will be interesting to see how Gokulam performs as the team is also dealing with the sudden departure of star striker Antonio German who left the club on Wednesday citing personal reasons. (IANS)
