Kolkata: Unbeaten in seven matches, East Bengal will aim to record a hat-trick of wins to add impetus to their I-League title chase when they face a fatigued Pune FC here on Saturday.
Trailing leaders Bengaluru FC by seven points with two games in hand, East Bengal’s 3-1 win over Mohammedan Sporting last week was their first back-to-back victory this season.
This is the first of three games in seven days for East Bengal and they have a chance to climb to the top of the chart if they win all three, with Bengaluru not playing until April 21.
Armando Colaco’s side will be missing striker James Moga due to injury, while club captain Mehtab Hossain is not completely match fit.
After being in the top three for the majority of the season, Pune have dropped to sixth after being winless in the last five games and their title challenge is officially over.
Pune FC have been a shadow of their last season’s selves with just one win in 16 matches in all competitions.
They also had an away AFC Cup fixture midweek and may be fatigued with a lot of travelling. They have been eliminated from the Cup with no wins in their five games and that will further hurt the morale of their young squad. (PTI)
