Kolkata : Mohun Bagan will look to avoid an embarrassing slip up against Tampines Rovers of Singapore . The Singaporean side will be without the services of big-name signing Jermaine Pennant . Bagan coach Sanjay Sen too will be without the services of striker Balwant Singh who is still to recover from an groin injury .
Bagan’s opponents on Wednesday have received plenty of attention in recent weeks, both locally and internationally, following the signing of former Arsenal and Liverpool winger Pennant.
Pennant is already involved with assists for two of the three goals his side have netted in a couple of pre-season friendlies against Hougang United and Johor Darul Ta’zim II, but it has emerged Rovers were late in registering him for the ACL qualifying round match against Mohun Bagan .
However, Stags coach V. Sundramoorthy believes that his side have more than enough quality to get a result in Kolkata and keep their Champions League dream alive.
“Mohun Bagan have the home advantage, they’re used to the weather and the pitch, and that will obviously help them . But we are looking to push ourselves and try to get a result .” Sundramoorthy further added , “If we do win, we will still face Chinese side Shandong Luneng Taishan and then Adelaide United. Realistically speaking, it’s going to be tough, especially since all those games will be played away.
Bagan gaffer Sanjay Sen would like to mix caution with aggression against his opponents on Wednesday, “We have to play 3 I League matches in next 8 days . We have been playing continuously . So we need to finish the game in normal time.” So does that mean your team will be over confident against Tampines as they have only two foreigners in their ranks ,“ There is no room for complacency as it might be their strategy to undermine themselves against us . ” The side from Singapore have two foreigners in their ranks – Canadian midfielder Jordan Webb and South Korean defender Kwon Jun .
Mohun Bagan coach will be wary about the fact that his boys are continuously playing and the players are already feeling fatigued . “ My boys are very tired , so my aim will be to finish the match in 90 minutes rather than taking it to the extra time and tie-breaker .”
Mohun Bagan have to rely on the trusted pair of Sony Norde and Cornell Glen for scoring goals . In fact it was the move initated by Norde that got Glen in the score sheet in the derby few days back . Norde himself seems quite confident , “My aim is to play even better and take Mohun Bagan to the next level . We have to play for our pride as it is a milestone match for us .”
Last time an Indian club did the country proud was Dempo , who made it to the semi finals of AFC Cup . Mohun Bagan coach Sanjay Sen have made his intentions clear ahead of the match that he would like to go distance in the ACL . And for that to happen , he would want the support of everyone including the East Bengal supporters “ Mohun Bagan will be playing for pride as they will be representing the country . I would want to see the support of fans irrespective of which club they belong to .”