East Bengal, fresh from their AFC Challenge League success where they qualified for the knockout round, return to the ISL-XI with a match against Mohammedan Sporting at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
East Bengal are yet to earn a point after six matches and are last in the league standings, while their city rivals sit a place above with four points from half a dozen games.
On any given day this would have been a battle of laggards, but after their commendable show in Thimpu which hosted the continental tournament, the red and gold brigade would be keen to prove a point. The mood is they are set for their first win in the ongoing league. This comes from the fact that Mohammedan Sporting's morale is at its lowest ebb.
Mohammedan Sporting have not won their last three matches and the way they capitulated against Hyderabad FC, conceding four goals at home, showed that all was not well at the league's newest entrants' front. On Friday at the news conference when coach Andrey Chernyshov said "See you all, next time, hopefully," sarcasm could not be missed.
East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon said his team will try to play a fast game and harped on the importance of the right balance between attack and defence.
The East Bengal backline has been leaking in goals and that is a worry for the new Spanish coach. Hector Yuste, nursing a groin injury, is ruled out and Hijazi Maher, the Jordanian defender, despite his impressive performance in Thimpu, does not seem to have a guaranteed spot. If Bruzon decides to bench Hijazi, defensive midfielder Jeakson Singh may partner Anwar Ali in the defence.
"Our approach will be to play a fast ball movement, connecting with central areas, and using our speed on the flanks. The most important is how to balance the team in the moments we lose the ball because we are getting penalised game after game, especially in our defensive transitions," Bruzon said.
"Your question is if Hijazi will play tomorrow (Saturday). I'm not going to give clues to our rivals because we have been working on formations this week," he added.
