XtraTime Web Desk: In the third match of the 12th edition of the Hero I-League Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan will face -based franchise Gokulam Kerala FC in an away clash at the EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode on Saturday.
Mohun Bagan Head Coach will look forward to get the maximum point from the season’s opener. Last season Mohun Bagan lost the home match against Gokulam and drew the away match.
Sankarlal Chakraborty in today’s press conference stated ” Gokulam is a far better side from the last season and playing at home for them will also be an advantage. The attacking force of the Gokulam team is very good . But our target is to get the maximum points from this encounter. On being asked about players thinking about I-League and ISL he clearly negated stating that players now a days are intelligent and they are aware of present situation, so I-League is more important than ISL.”
The opener as always has some twist because either team will look to settle down in the groove and gradually peak as the league progresses. Mohun Bagan traveled with only four foreign players for their opening match whereas Gokulam has the option to play all their foreign recruits. Henry Kisekka the man who architect the turn of fortune for Gokulam last season will be seen playing against them in tomorrow’s encounter. The prolific Ugandan striker caught the eye of Mohun Bagan during the match played in Kolkata. His inclusion will help Sankarlal to get an insight of Gokulam’s strategy.
The maverick Bino George-coached Gokulam have had the better of the exchanges in the two head-to-head encounters between the two sides so far, with a win and a draw respectively and the hosts would like to take that confidence into Saturday’s clash.
Gokulam, in spite of finishing seventh last year, which was also their debut year, had a brilliant run of form in the middle stages. The catalyst behind the six wins that they notched up during that run, former Ugandan international striker Henry Kisekka, will incidentally spearhead their opponents attack come Saturday.
Coach Bino George appeared in his usual upbeat self on the eve of the match saying, “My target last year was to play Super Cup and I am happy we reached it. This year our target is top 3. Mohun Bagan is a strong team but we have home advantage, and we will fight strong and not give them an easy game.”
Midfielder and team vice-captain Md. Rashid also exuded confidence, “We are confident about our game and we would like to be strong in the field tomorrow. We have played them last season and they are a strong team this time around. But we are prepared for the game tomorrow.”