Robbie Fowler: No pressure on our boys for Kolkata Derby

The first-leg of the much-anticipated fixture will be played on 27th November, 2020.

The schedule for first 11 rounds of Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season was announced on Friday. The countdown for the much-anticipated Kolkata Derby has now begun. Interestingly, the first-leg of the match will be played in the opening month itself. The game will also mark SC East Bengal's debut in the Indian Super League. Speaking of the tie, their head coach Robbie Fowler expressed his views.

The Englishman seemed quite conscious about the hurdle in front as he said, "We know how tough any game would be. But for us to get the reigning champions and to get a massive derby out of the way is something to train for. It's a massive game for our players and we can't wait. We will be looking forward to it.”

After almost all the teams have started training, SC East Bengal too began their pre-season on Friday for the first time. With things settling a bit late, the Fowler regiment is weeks behind with respect to their preparations. Thus, they have also been allotted their debut match in the second round of fixtures. That allows the Kolkata giants almost one week more to prepare themselves for the season. However, starting the season with a derby is always a tough situation to overcome and for a completely new squad like SC East Bengal, it could prove to be an acid test for Robbie Fowler.

Nevertheless, the former Liverpool legend seemed confident and tactical as he scooped the ball to the arch-rivals' court saying, "All we can do is get the team as ready as we can. We really will be ready. No pressure on our boys. We are new boys in the league. Let’s put all the pressure on ATK Mohun Bagan,” he added.

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SC East Bengal will face ATK Mohun Bagan on 27th November at the Tilak Maidan and the first-ever derby in ISL will also mark the 120th edition of the historic tie.