Kolkata :East Bengal will be look to set their records straight against Shillong Lajong tomorrow at Barasat stadium . Last time the two sides met was at the JN Stadium when the Red and Gold suffered an embarrassing 1-5 loss against the team from North East . The Red and Gold also have a golden opportunity to climb up the ladder as they can claim the top spot with a win .
Korean Do Dong Hyun was allowed to train with the team on Monday after an unconditional apology by him . Dong was in the middle of controversy following his reaction after being taken off in the match against Aizawl FC . The team management decided to fine him and restrict him from practicing with the team . The club officials had to intervene as the matter seemed to be taking an ugly turn . Dong looked quite cheerful at the practice today .
According to East Bengal coach Biswajit Bhattacharya ,“ Since he has fulfilled all the conditions , he was allowed to practice with the team . He is still young and will learn with his mistakes. As a coach I should not be too harsh on my players .”
On being asked whether he will feature in the first eleven “ I will take a decision only after having a word with my assistants .”
East Bengal will have an opportunity to go on top of the table if they win tomorrow . The gaffer is not thinking about the league table at the moment , “ I am not thinking about reaching the top of the table . My concern right now is the match against Lajong tomorrow . We need to look at one match at a time . They are a decent side with quality foreigners , We need to be cautious .”
On the injury updates, Mehtab did not practice today. He had an injury in his calf muscle which means he is doubtful for tomorrow’s match .
East Bengal will look to continue their winning momentum against Shillong Lajong in an I League match on Tuesday . The Red and Gold buoyed by the inclusion of French international Bernard Mendy edged past Aizawl FC in the last match . Mendy who made his I-League debut against Aizawl showed class and overall had a good game on with the Red and Gold .
Fabio Pena and Uilliams Souza have been among the goals for Lajong and coach Thangboi singto will look to them to breach the Red and Golds defence tomorrow. Singto reiterated that his team need to be rock solid at the back while praising their attacking intent.
“We need to approach the game with a winning mentality. The team has improved in attack and defence but not conceding will be the key tomorrow,” said Singto.
Penn Orji will be the vital cog in midfield and the new recruit Yusuke Yamagata will look to marshal the defence with veteran Aiborlang Khongjee. Singto was cautious of the opponents as he said that East Bengal’s strength all across the board was something to contend with.
“It will be a very tough match tomorrow as their Indian bench strength is very strong. No doubt, it will be a challenging match,” he observed.
Lajong had a successful campaign at home winning two back to back matches against Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube De Goa on the 28th and 31st January respectively.
Brazilian Strikers Fabio Pena Henrique and Uilliams Bomfim Souza provided the goals for the Reds at home and climbed up to the fifth place with 7 points. The duo who have been combining exceptionally well in the past two matches will be the key to provide the important goals for Lajong in tomorrows’ crucial clash at the Barasat.
Thangboi Singto reiterated that his side will go in with a positive mentality , “We need to approach the game with a winning mentality. The team has improved in attack and defence but not conceding will Singto pointed out that East Bengal is overall a well balanced team with good foreigners as well as Indian players.
“It will be a very tough match tomorrow as their Indian bench strength is very strong. It will be a challenging match.”