When two of the oldest football clubs of India take the field on Saturday in the Indian Super League, history will be made.
The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan SC is as old as the sport existed in India and when the fierce rivals take the field again in the top division in the country, it will be a momentous occasion for football in the city of Kolkata.
‘Mini derby’ as the matches involving Mohammedan and either of the two Kolkata giants – East Bengal being the other side – is known as, will be a grand affair. More than just three points or a win is on offer. It all comes down to bragging rights.
Recent history fails to do justice to the legacy of the fixture as ‘green and maroon’ have overwhelmingly had the upper hand over the ‘black and white’ outfit. It will all count for nought at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on October 5.
Mohammedan SC come into the game on the back of their first-ever win in the ISL, beating Chennaiyin FC away, and have the chance to become only the second team in ISL history (after ATK) to bag wins in back-to-back opening away games.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, on the other hand, boast an enviable record against debutant teams in their ISL journey so far – registering seven wins, while drawing and losing only twice. The Mariners though have conceded seven goals in their first three games of the season and their leaky defence has caused concern for coach Jose Molina.
“We are conceding too many goals. That’s clear. Some of the goals we are conceding due to mistakes at the back but most goals that we are conceding are due to mistakes in attack. To improve in defence, we need to improve in attack as the better we can attack, the better we will defend,” Molina said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
There are injury concerns too for the Mariners boss.
“Sahal (Abdul Samad) is injured and Manvir (Singh) is touch and go. We will see how he trains and then we can take a call,” he said.
Mohammedan SC head coach Andrey Chernyshov though is not getting ahead of themselves after their first win in the ISL but believes that playing Mohun Bagan SG will be a challenge, given the talent at their disposal.
He, though, sounded positive about his side’s chances despite accepting that their opponents would be desperate to bounce back from their listless loss to Bengaluru FC.
“We know we are strong; we want to play good football in this league. We needed to win this match. And I am very happy about my players now. First, after two matches, they understood they could play good football. Now they understand they can win matches in ISL. And this is really very important for us,” Chernyshov said.
“They’re a strong team. We respect them. But we’re also a strong side. We have shown that in the last three games. We need to play good football, and that’s what the sport is all about. It’s about being ready for the big moments,” he added.
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