On a high after winning three successive matches, Mohun Bagan host Indian Arrows in an I-League encounter at the Kalyani Stadium on Thursday
In the last match, Bagan defeated Real Kashmir FC in Srinagar and that win should give the green and maroon brigade’s confidence a huge boost. Coach Kibu Vicuna though remained cautious on match-eve.
“Last match is history. Arrows are a good side. Their win against Churchill Brothers speaks volumes about how difficult it will be for us. They are young and hungry. It’s not that we won five points from the Real Kashmir match. So the approach remains the same and our target is to get full points,” the Bagan coach said on Wednesday.
Bagan’s midfield general Fran Gonzales, who picked up a shoulder injury in the last match, is fit to play. “Gonzalez is an important player for us. His role in the team is very essential. However, the most important player in the team is the team itself. Every player is important in my squad.”
Joseba Beitia in also going through a purple patch and the former Sociedad B player would like to continue with his rich vein in form.
Vicuna is unlikely to tinker with the winning combination. That means the 23-year old Tajikistan forward Komron Tursunov, whose registration process was completed on Wednesday, may come in as a substitute.
Meanwhile left back Gurjinder Kumar, who missed the Kashmir match due to suspension, suffered a cut on the forehead during Wednesday’s training session and is a doubtful starter.
Nongdamba Naorem, who previously played for Arrows, doesn’t think the match will be emotional for him. “Only the name of the team is the same. The players are different, the coach is different. So it does not mean anything special to me,” Norem said.
Former India midfielder Shanmugam Venkatesh is in charge of the team. To keep his players charged up, he had requested Subhas Bhowmick and Deepak Mondal to give pep talk to his players before the game. Bhowmick and Mondal went to Kalynai on Wednesday and shared their experiences.
“Football is all about hard work and belief. What you have to understand is that most of these boys have only played at the junior level.
“While they have the quality, playing against senior teams require certain amount of experience. They have now started to grasp what it takes to play at the senior level, and the results have started to come. They now have the belief that they can do it against the senior players as well. That is what has changed,” said Venkatesh, who addressed the media via video conference, said.