Mohun Bagan face Bengaluru in the return leg of their I-League clash this weekend. This is the third time that these two I-league giants are facing each other within a span of three weeks. In the previous two meetings, Bengaluru have stopped Mohun Bagan from getting all three points. But will this time be any different?
Bagan who are looking to push for the title race will be eager to gather all three points from this match. They are currently third in the league table with 23 points. But the Kolkata team does have two games in hand. And Sanjoy Sen’s men will be eager to make these extra matches count. The Mariners have been going through a bad run recently as they have managed to win just won one game out of their last five. They have also conceded seven goals in their last 5 matches while managing to score just 8. Another big headache for the Bagan coach is the fact that both his high-profile international players, Norde and Katsumi have been out of form for quite some time. But the coaching staff will be hoping that they can get back to form as early as possible.
Bengaluru, on the other hand, started the season in fine form. But as the season has gathered momentum they have fallen out of the title race. They now find themselves in the fifth spot with just 18 points to show for it. Their title race is all but over but the Blues from Bengaluru will be playing for pride. Bagan is one of their arch rivals and they will definitely not want them to have an easy game. Bengaluru FC should have won their home match just a fortnight back but somehow they failed to topple a ten men Bagan side. As a result of which the match ended in a stalemate. Albert Roca’s men will definitely be eager to make amends and bring back all three points.
Aizwal FC and East Bengal, who are first and second respectively in the league will have a keen interest in this match. If Bengaluru manages to defeat Mohun Bagan it will definitely be a blessing for the top two teams. A loss for Bagan will mean that they will fall further behind in the title chase and might even fall off it. Bagan will surely not want to lose this one as both their pride and the trophy is at stake.
