Desperate Mohun Bagan host lowly Aizawl in hope for win

Both the sides are without a win from their respective first games in the league. 

Mohun Bagan will host Aizawl FC in their first home game of the 12th edition of Hero I-League at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday from 5 pm.

The Mariners are coming fresh from a hard fought draw in their away clash against Gokulam Kerala. It was a cagey affair as both clubs had chances to bag all three points on the day but as it ended the two teams only managed to salvage a point from the fixture.

Coaches' Corner

Coach Shankarlal Chakraborty will be concerned about his backline as they lacked communication and it eventually resulted in an own goal. When asked about shaky defence Shankarlal said, ”It's understandable as the players are starting a game after a month's break and it takes time to get going again. It is not only our defence we need to improve on every aspect”.

Shankarlal is also aware of Aizawl FC's strength as he said, “It is always a challenge when you are playing Aizawl FC and as they have lost the first match they will go all out against us and hence it will be a tough task for us”.

He will also be pleased with the performance of young midfielder Sourav Das and defender Arijit Bagui. The duo made a mark right from the start of their campaign and Chakraborty will hope that they can carry on their good form as the league progresses.

The major area of concern for Chakraborty will be finishing, an area where we have seen Mohun Bagan struggle even in the CFL (Calcutta Football League). Mariners' frontmen, Henry Kisekka and Dipanda Dicka are known for their goal-scoring prowess but they both were wasteful in front of goal in the last fixture. The Mariners could have easily put that game to bed in the first half itself had the forwards been more clinical.  

Aizawl FC, on the other hand, are coming on the back of a 2-1 defeat against Shillong Lajong and coach Gift Raikhan will look to overturn their fate coming to Kolkata.

The coach was asked about the busy schedule as both Mizoram Premier League and I-League are running simultaneously, he said, ”It is like one driver controlling two buses at a time. It is definitely a challenge but we are looking forward to it. The whole squad is not registered for the MPL so it is different preparation altogether”.

“We know how good the Mohun Bagan team is, but we will go all out for three points” he added. Raikhan was clear that anything less than three points will not be satisfactory for the club.

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Teams News

Mohun Bagan talisman Sony Norde has registered for the league and may start this game on the bench. Lanky defender Dalraj Singh may start ahead of Kim Kima whereas Yuta Kinowaki’s involvement still remains unclear.

Aizawl FC though have no injury among their ranks and coach Gift Raikhan may just toggle with the squad a bit and David Lalrinmuana may start this match beside Alfred Jaryan in the heart of midfield.

Probable Lineup

Mohun Bagan: Sankar Roy, Arijit Bagui, Kingsley Eze, Kim Kima, Abhishek Ambekar, Sourav Das, Omar Elhussieny, Pintu Mahata, Britto PM, Dipanda Dicka and Henry Kisekka.

Aizawl FC: Gurpreet Chabal, Hmingthan Mawia, Kareem Omolaja, Lalrinchhana Tochhawng, Mamit Vanlalduatsanga, David Lalrinmuana, Alfred Jaryan, Lalremsanga Fanai, Larin Fela, Leonce Dodoz and Ansumana Kromah.

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Broadcast

The match will be live telecasted on 3rd November Saturday from 5 pm onwards at Star Sports 3 and the match will also be live on their digital platform Hotstar along with Jio TV.