Kolkata: Sitting fairly on a good position in the table Mohun Bagan on Monday left for Goa with a 18-member squad without their two key players Odafa Okolie and Jose Barreto to play the third I-League match against former champions Dempo Sports Club on November 2.
Former Churchill Brothers striker Odafa and Bagan’s captain, both scored one each in 2-1 win over Chirag United Kerala in the last match, sustained injury and rested for two matches.
After Dempo’s match, Mohun Bagan go to Mumbai to play against Mumbai FC to play their second away match on November 6.
The eighteen members are among the 23 players that have been registered for the I-League.
Bagan coach Prashanta Banerjee said, ”Though we will be traveling without many key players of the team, including Barreto and Odafa, our target will be to get 6 points from the two matches.”
Club’s physio Konar, who examined Barreto and Odafa, said the two players were advised against the inclusion for two away matches, Banerjee said.
”We will be taking only 1 foreigner ( Hudson Lima) with the team. This will make our task a bit difficult, but not at all impossible. We have seen Dempo’s matches and we have marked their strengths and weaknesses.
” We initially thought to include Snehasish Chakraborty, NP Pradeep and Surkumar Singh in the team, but then we found that they are still not hundred per cent fit, so they will be practicing here and will make themselves match fit and might play against Churchill on November 10.”
Club sources said that depending on the result of the match against Dempo, if Subrata Bhattacharyya and Prashanta Banerjee give the green signal, Jose Barreto might join the team in Pune before the Mumbai FC match to be played on November 6. (UNI)
