Mohammedan look to end drought; Bagan to face EB

Bengaluru/Guwahati, Jan 10: Bengaluru FC will play Mohammedan SC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Saturday. The Blues had secured a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture earlier this season and now have a chance to do a double over a Kolkata club for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when they defeated ATK twice.
For Mohammedan SC, this is an opportunity to end their five-game goalless run in the league, which is the joint-third longest such streak in ISL history.
Bengaluru FC are currently second in the league standings with 27 points from 14 matches. Mohammedan SC, on the other hand, are bottom in the table with just seven points from 14 games, and are struggling to find the back of the net, having scored only five goals this season.
Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan Super Giant would look to assert their dominance over arch-rivals East Bengal in the ISL when they face each other on Saturday in a match which has been shifted here owing to inadequate security arrangements in Kolkata.
The change in venue comes after the Bidhannagar Police in Kolkata, under whose jurisdiction the original match venue Salta Lake Stadium falls, cited concerns over inadequate security because of the Gangasagar Mela from January 10 to 18.
Mohun Bagan have won eight out of the nine encounters between the two teams in ISL history, with East Bengal yet to record a victory.
East Bengal have struggled in terms of scoring, having netted only five goals in this fixture. Mohun Bagan are sitting comfortably at the top of the table on 32 points with 10 wins from 14 matches. (Agencies)
Their attacking unit, led by Dimitrios Petratos, Manvir Singh, Liston Colaco, Jamie Maclaren, and Jason Cummings has been one of the most relentless in the league.
Additionally, the Mariners have been solid defensively.
With both teams eyeing important points, Mohun Bagan will be looking to maintain their unbeaten streak, while East Bengal will be hoping to break their arch-rivals’ stronghold and avoid another loss.
East Bengal will have to discover a way to break down the cohesiveness in the Mariners’ passing patterns to not let them dictate the flow of the proceedings.
The Mariners will be targeting their fourth league double against East Bengal in the ISL.
Mohun Bagan head coach Jose Molina played down their impressive track record against East Bengal FC in the ISL.
“What we did in the ISL so far doesn’t matter in tomorrow’s game. We need to perform well, defeat them in the 90 minutes tomorrow on the pitch. We need to optimise our resources,” he said.
East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon backed his players to perform well in the Kolkata Derby.
“We have to optimise the resources that are available to us and we have full confidence in the players who will take the field to play in the Kolkata Derby,” he said. PTI