HERO I-LEAGUE - INDIA

   

Mohun Bagan - Sporting clube de Goa Preview: The Mariners out for revenge

Both teams are motivated to win full points in what promises to be an entertaining encounter at the Barasat...

Mohun Bagan take on Sporting Clube de Goa at the Barasat Stadium, in what would be an opportunity for the Mariners to avenge their 2-1 defeat against the same opponents last week.

The Flaming Oranje would look for three points in order to avoid the drop. The Kolkata side need full points in order to continue their reign at the top of the table and take another significant step towards winning their maiden league title.

The Goan side are in a remarkable form lately as in their last seven matches, they have been undefeated. Two ingredients have remained constant in their wins, skipper Odafa Okolie leading with his experience and the youthful energy of Brandon Fernandes.

Coach Mateus Costa will look to the aforementioned duo on Saturday to star once again for side. However, he credited their entire team for their remarkable come back this season given the poor run of form they endured until round 13 of the I-League.

"Yes, our first part of the season had been very poor. But credit to the boys for coming back so strong. It's not only Odafa but the entire team which is responsible for our recovery," he said.

Sandesh Jhingan who only joined the team on the eve of the match could earn a starting berth while Anthony Wolfe will look to start alongside Odafa Okolie.

"Mohun Bagan made some mistakes in defending and hence we punished them in Goa. If they repeat those, we will get the better of them yet again," said Wolfe.

Costa however made it clear that they would not be relying on their final game against Pune FC, and would go for all three points which would virtually guarantee their safety.

"We need three points against Bagan. If we get three points, we will save relegation," said Costa.

Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen reiterated that the win over Royal Wahingdoh eased the pressure on them to some extent as they prepare themselves for the tie against Sporting.

"It was the players who brought the pressure on them and like last game, they themselves dealt with it. So now it is their turn to stand up and be counted once more," said the former United SC coach.

Unfortunately for Bagan, Sukhen Dey and Dhanachandra Singh both have niggles and will need to assesed before the match, along with Balwant Singh who is down with fever.

Pritam Kotal will shift to left back, a position he has played in before while Kingshuk Debnath would be shunted right. Anwar Ali and Bello Rasaq would be tasked with guarding the heart of the defense.

Denson Devadas and Debjit Majumder are still injured while Sehnaj Singh, Sony Norde and Debnath will need to be careful as they are a mere booking away from missing the crucial tie against Bengaluru, one that will very well determine their fate.

In what would be a crucial encounter to decide the fortunes of the two sides at opposite ends of the table, the onus will be on the two teams to give it their all.

Costa: Peter Vaz is a fantastic presence

The Goan coach was pleased that his side continued their good run of form to pick yet another vital win…

Sporting Clube de Goa registered a 2-1 victory over Shillong Lajong to move seventh on the I-League standings with 20 points.

The Goan outfit are now unbeaten in their last seven matches and with another two games to go, it looks like the Flaming Oranje can surely avoid the drop.

“We’ve been working extremely hard, especially considering out long break in the middle of the season. The boys really proved they were capable of winning matches. Here in Shillong, it’s really difficult to come and get a result and they’ve done that. So, we must give full credit to the boys,” said coach Mateus Costa.

Costa believes that his side needs to keep their feet on the ground and look to get a positive result in the next game against Mohun Bagan in Kolkata.

“The pressure was on us here as it’s an astro-turf. We have played all our matches at home where we have a natural grass surface.  Here we couldn’t even go for practice on the artificial pitch. We travelled immediately after we played our last match and it was difficult. But it was a good match where the boys played well.

“Most definitely this is an important win, but we have to keep in mind that most of the teams are thereabouts.  So we have to take all the points in the next two matches (against Bagan and Pune FC).”

Costa mentioned that they never put the players under pressure despite the results not going in their favour for most part of the season.

“The thing is, our boss (Peter Vaz) is a fantastic presence. He knows where we are but he was constantly motivating the boys. We never put pressure on the boys either when we practiced, we made sure they relaxed. We let them enjoy the football at practice and what they have shown is just that,” he signed off.