Kolkata: Unbeaten Mohun Bagan will be bolstered by the return of ace forward Sony Norde when they take on a struggling East Bengal in a high voltage I-League derby at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan here tomorrow.
Having served a one-match suspension, the Haitian striker will be back to assist Katsumi Yusa and Pierre Boya, making it a terrific threesome attack against a team whose defensive woes has been the story of the season so far.
East Bengal's dodgy defense cost them Federation Cup and the aftermath saw the exit of highly successful Goan coach Armando Colaco.
As Eelco Schattorie looks forward to his first derby outing, the Dutchman would be doubly cautious for sure and it remains to be seen how the likes of Robert Lalthlamuana, Milan Susak, Arnab Mondal and captain Harmanjyot Singh Khabra rise to the challenge.
As far as the East Bengal attack is concerned, Ranti Martins lead the charts with 12 goals, something that also show the team's over dependence on the Nigerian in the attack which also has Dudu Omagbemi.
To the delight of Mohun Bagan fans, their reliable central defender Bello Rasaq may just recover from his twisted ankle in time as he had a light work out.
Anwar Ali is likely to assist the Nigerian in central defense while Kinghshuk Debnath and Sukhen Dey may play in the right and left back positions respectively.
East Bengal are yet to win since their 5-1 rout of Dempo as in the last match Sporting Clube de Goa stunningly scored back-to-back goals to force a 2-2 draw as they occupy a poor fifth place with 13 points.
Mohun Bagan (18 points), on the other hand, have been a revelation as they are the only to remain unbeaten and are one point clear of defending champions Bengaluru FC in the lead with two matches in hand.
Excited to lead the attack, Norde said: "The last East Bengal match (which was 1-1 draw) was my first derby in Kolkata. Tomorrow, I would try to give my best for the team and use my potential to the best of my ability and accordingly I have planned with coach as to what will be the best for the team in the match."
The Haitian recruit said Mohun Bagan were playing like champions and hoped to continue the momentum.
"We are playing excellent football thus far and we have to continue this performance until the last match of the season. If we maintain the current form and stick to basics then there is a good chance to win the title."
East Bengal forward Martins said the focus would be to dominate the ball possession and play more creatively as the rest would fall in place.
"They are a very difficult side. However a win is always what we are looking for, but more than winning it is going to be how we play. We are looking forward to a huge fans support as they are very important for the club," Martins said.
So far, the two heavyweights have played each other 35 times in the NFL/I-League.
While East Bengal have won 14 times, Mohun Bagan have won on 10 occasions. The scoreline has been a draw on 11 occasions.
In the first leg Kolkata derby of the I-League this season, the result was a 1-1 draw.
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