Kolkata: Mohun Bagan change their stance ahead of facing arch rivals East Bengal in the first Kolkata Derby of this I-League season which will be played on Sunday. On the last few days the Bagan players and coaching staff were claiming themselves as favourites for many reasons. All of a sudden, there has been a change of stance on their approach today. From defender Kingsley to assistant coach Shankarlal Chakraborty and goalkeeper Shilton Paul, suddenly there has been a lot of respect for the arch rivals.
Good news for the Bagan camp is that their two key players Japanese Yuta Kinowaki and Azharuddin Mullick have almost recovered from their injuries and are likely to be available for the all important derby. After the training session, Bagan defender Kingsley said, “East Bengal is a formidable side and Al Amna is their key player. I played with him in the last season and know pretty well on how he controls the midfield. We have to be cautious.” He added, “I played under Khalid in the last season and I know how good a coach he is. He always tries to do different things. But I haven’t said anything about him to our coach because he is a fine coach as well and tactically very strong.”
Mohun Bagan Assistant Coach Shankarlal Chakraborty too said that East Bengal is a formidable unit and they have to play with a definite plan to beat them. Goalkeeper Shilton Paul is the most experienced player of this derby and he said, “Al Amna is their key player and we have certain plans for him. They are a matured side and it will be a tough game.”
Mohun Bagan had emphasised on set piece trainings today and it will be one of the key weapons against East Bengal on Sunday for the Bagan gaffer.
Mohun Bagan might feature with a 4-4-2 combination. The probable XI might be like: Shilton; Bagui, Kingshuk, Kingsley, Ricky; Sony, Yuta, Shilton, Azharuddin; Kromah, Dicka