A Derby in the city after more than two years and half years.
Since the last time East Bengal and Mohun Bagan crossed swords at the Salt Lake Stadium — in an I-League match on January 19, 2020 — a lot has changed in the world of Indian football’s biggest clash.
ATK has come in a prefix to Mohun Bagan, Emami is now part of East Bengal after the club’s tumultuous relationships with erstwhile investors Quess and Shree Cement.
One thing though remains as it used to be. The excitement and the hype in the build-up to the big-ticket clash. Sunday’s Durand Cup Group B tie in Salt Lake is expected to be a full house.
East Bengal’s record against ATK Mohun Bagan in the last two ISLs has been bad. They lost all their four matches and not for once looked good enough of beating their rivals.
“I’m never in favour of the past statistics, and how many we have won... It would have no impact on tomorrow’s outcome. Our aim is to get three points and I’m hopeful that we will come out with flying colours tomorrow (Sunday),” ATK Mohun Bagan’s Spanish coach Juan Ferrando said on Derby-eve.
The last time East Bengal won a Derby was in January 2019.
They will be keen to buck the trend but for that Stephen Constantine’s men will have to fight hard.
The head coach though was not much worried about the record. At the helm for not even a month his target is about building a good team for the future battle.
“We have started much later than anybody else... We are still trying to get match fitness. Hopefully, this game against Mohun Bagan will give us another opportunity to gauge where we stand,” he said.
Saturday afternoon’s heavy downpour did not allow his team a final practice session but the former India coach will draw strength from the fact that his team hasn’t conceded a goal in the two matches they have played so far.
That they haven’t scored either is another matter altogether.
An expensively-assembled ATK Mohun Bagan (one point from two matches) also are winless and face an early exit if they lose on Sunday.
They began with a stunning loss to Rajasthan United and were held by Mumbai City. Till now they have conceded four goals so defence will be a worry for Ferrando.
“We are under no pressure. We have created opportunities and it’s just a matter of converting them,” he said. Florentin Pogba, elder brother of Juventus superstar Paul Pogba, hasn’t been able to give much solidity to the defence even though these are early days in the season.
“The team is in a rebuilding mode,” Spaniard said.
Md. Sp. in quarters
Mohammedan Sporting became the first team to qualify for the quarter finals after registering a 2-0 win over Indian Air Force.
Goals from Senegalese defender Ousmane Ndiaye (33rd minute) and young forward Rahul Paswan (87th minute) helped them register their third win from as many matches.