ATK Mohun Bagan will have a chance to come to the ‘four’ when they host SC East Bengal in an ISL VIII Derby at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Saturday. Ever since the arch-rivals came to the ISL fold, ATK Mohun Bagan have won all the three Derbies and on Saturday, going by the difference in class and form, they look firm favourites to make it four out of four.
ATK Mohun Bagan midfielder Hugo Boumous though doesn’t think SC East Bengal will give three points on a platter. “There is no reason to underestimate our rivals. Yes we had won the first leg (played in late November) very easily and their morale will be down after the 0-4 thrashing at the hands of Hyderabad FC the other day. But it’s SC East Bengal and they will come at us all guns blazing,” Boumous said on Thursday.
ATK Mohun Bagan defeated SC East Bengal 3-0 on November 27 in the first leg. “A win will put us back in contention for a top-four berth so it’s a very important game for us,” he added.
ATK Mohun Bagan lost points against Odisha FC on January 23 and are now placed eighth in the ISL table. SC East Bengal are last with nine points from 13 matches.
“We didn’t win against Odisha but did create a lot of chances,” Boumous, who didn’t play due to suspension, said.
ATK Mohun Bagan’s three matches were postponed (Odisha game was the first of their rescheduled matches) after Covid-19 breached the bio-bubble. That forced the team to be cooped up in their rooms and they were without practice for days. “The situation is different now. It’s not just football, we have to keep an eye on a lot of things. We missed training sessions and to remove the rust we are working hard.”
Pritam Kotal, one of the three captains, said ATK Mohun Bagan would like to maintain the all-win record against SC East Bengal.
“We have never lost to them in ISL and the challenge would be to maintain the momentum. People may write them off as last boys of the league but I do not buy that idea. Derbies are a different ball game altogether. We have to keep our defence tight,” Kotal said.
According to Subhasish Bose, SC East Bengal’s poor form doesn’t mean it would be cakewalk for the Juan Ferrando-coached side. “There is no reason to underestimate them and there is no room for complacency.”
