Durand Cup 2022 Preview: East Bengal, ATK Mohun Bagan seek season's first win

The Mariners have won the last five Kolkata Derbies.

January 19, 2020. That was the last time the City of Joy, Kolkata witnessed the prestigious, historic and most energetic encounter of Indian football – the Kolkata Derby. Cut back to August 28, 2022, the derby is back in the city! The last two years remained witness to the “Boro Match” being played at Goa, due to COVID concerns. However, times have changed. East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan will go neck to neck in the Durand Cup 2022, in front of a sixty-thousand gallery at the Salt Lake Stadium.

The Stakes

East Bengal

Firstly, East Bengal last won a derby way back on January 27, 2019. That was when both clubs plied their trade in the I-League. The last two seasons haven’t witnessed even a draw between these teams. Each time, the arch-rivals have pounced upon the Red & Golds and snatched away victory as if taking away a piece of chocolate from a child. Stephen Constantine’s army will be fuming for revenge.

Secondly, the club is yet to register their first win this season. The previous two matches only earned them two points each. Undoubtedly, the likes of Ivan Gonzalez and Kamaljit Singh will be looking forward to snatching all three points from this game.

ATK Mohun Bagan

When it comes to the Kolkata Derby, the Mariners have been habituated to winning it since the 2019/20 season. On paper, they will be the favourites in this match. However, Juan Ferrando will be the person more under pressure since his star-studded line-up is yet to seal their first victory of the season.

In a few days, they’ll be playing the AFC Cup Inter-Zonal semi-finals. What will be a better opportunity than the derby to revive the team’s morale?

Team News

Reportedly, VP Suhair and Ankit Mukherjee are out of this clash. Even Cleiton Silva hasn’t trained much, but no comment can be made about his presence in the squad.

ATK Mohun Bagan will be having a fully fit squad going into this encounter. Brendan Hamill has been training for the last two days. He will make a place on the reserve bench for the derby.

Head-to-head

East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan have locked horns a total of 382 times across all competitions (including major, minor and exhibition games). The Red & Golds have emerged victorious 136 times. Meanwhile, ATK Mohun Bagan (previously Mohun Bagan) have won 122 matches. 124 fixtures have ended in draws.

Probable line-ups

East Bengal: Kamaljit Singh, Mohammad Rakip, Lalchungnunga, Ivan Gonzalez, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Aniket Jadhav, Alex Lima, Mobashir Rahman, Amarjit Singh, Tuhin Das, Eliandro.

ATK Mohun Bagan: Vishal Kaith, Pritam Kotal, Florentin Pogba, Subhasish Bose, Manvir Singh, Carl McHugh, Joni Kauko, Deepak Tangri, Ashique Kuruniyan, Liston Colaco, Hugo Boumous.

Man to watch

Alex Lima (East Bengal)

It’s surprising to tag a defensive midfielder as the man to lookout for in the derby. But his contribution to the side has been immense. He has been acting as the link between the defence and the upfront. The East Bengal forwards will heavily rely on him and Mobashir Rahman for the creation of chances.

Liston Colaco (ATK Mohun Bagan)

Liston Colaco got his first Durand Cup 2022 goal in the previous game against Mumbai City. The winger scored eight goals and provided four assists in the ISL last season. His trickery during the AFC Cup were also mind-boggling. Even in national colours, the 23-year-old emerged to be a person Igor Stimac could rely on. Undoubtedly, East Bengal need to watch out for Colaco more than the fans.

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Did you know?

• ATK Mohun Bagan have won the last five Kolkata Derbies.
• East Bengal’s last victory in all competitions came against FC Goa in the ISL on January 19, 2022.
• Both East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan have won the Durand Cup a record 16 times.

Telecast

The Kolkata Derby will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium with a kick-off time of 6 pm IST. The match will be telecasted on Sports18 – Sports18 1 SD & HD and Sports18 Khel (Hindi commentary). It will also be streamed on Voot and JioTV.