Woes deepen for East Bengal, key defender Hijazi Maher ruled out for remainder of season

Hijazi Maher suffered a knee injury during a practice session.

East Bengal have been dealt a massive setback ahead of their crucial clash against Mumbai City FC, as defender Hijazi Maher has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury sustained during training on Tuesday. The Jordanian centre-back went down in pain during the early stages of the session, forcing the medical staff to intervene immediately.

Maher’s injury looked serious from the outset, and initial reports suggested he could be sidelined for an extended period. Witnesses at the training ground reported that Maher was unable to walk properly and had to be assisted off the field before being taken away in a vehicle.

The Red and Gold Brigade are facing many issues this season and injury concerns are one of them. After the joining of Oscar Bruzon, East Bengal definitely got the confidence boost and tactically also they are much better. But many players are suffering due to injury issues this season. Bad times are not leaving East Bengal. Currently, they are placed in the 11th spot with 17 points on board in 17 matches in the Indian Super League.

Other injury concerns add to East Bengal’s woes

Saul Crespo, Anwar Ali, and Madih Talal are already not available due to their respective injuries. After Hijazi, Brazilian striker Cleiton Silva has also been reportedly ruled out due to a groin injury which creates even more problems for the Kolkata side and has missed two consecutive practice sessions.

Players like Mohamed Rakip and Prabhat Lakra will be available by next month and Yuste has recovered from his last injury but still, he can’t play the full 90 minutes. The Red and Gold Brigade still have some games to make it into the top six but after missing so many players their task will be much more difficult. This makes the job of Oscar Bruzon even more difficult as the Red and Gold Brigade fans still have hope to see their team in the playoff.

The Red and Gold Brigade will travel to Mumbai to face the Islanders on January 31, in the reverse fixture they did lose the game, but they will look to get the three points away from home for sure. The competition is heating up for the top six spots and from now on each and every point counts.

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