Saturday will be one of those days of the year when Kolkata will be divided into two parts as the two giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan lock horns at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in hat promises to be a highly-charged I-League encounter.
The Slat Lake Stadium will be one to behold as football fanatics come in numbers to support their favourite side yet again.
Last time these two sides met was in the Calcutta Football League. East Bengal thumped Mohun Bagan 4-0 to lift the trophy in September 2015. South Korean Do Dong-Hyun was the star of the show, as he scored twice from two freekicks and added an assist to his name as well.
This is a different tournament, however, and a lot has changed since that epic encounter. Both sides have made a number of changes to their squads for the I-League and it will be a lot different from the one that they fielded back in September.
East Bengal manager Biswajit Bhattacharya believes his team will win and collect the three points on Saturday against Mohun Bagan only if they play as a team.
"Look, it has to be a team performance irrespective of what match it is. Yes, we do analyse different players and make plans and strategies for them but at the end of the day, it has to be a collective effort," Bhattacharya told reporters ahead of the crunch encounter on Saturday.
"Both sides have changed from the last meeting as both have tried to upgrade their roster. I know my players well and I will plan according to their strengths for the game."
Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan will look to avenge their humiliating defeat in the Calcutta Football League. The Mariners manager Sanjoy Sen will want two of his best players -- Sony Norde and Katsumi Yusa -- to be at their best during this high-voltage Kolkata derby against East Bengal.
East Bengal are two points behind Mohun Bagan in the current standings of the I-League. The Red and Gold brigade have so far played all their matches away from home and all of them were difficult fixtures. If they manage to earn three points from Saturday's derby, they will overtake Mohun Bagan in the points table.
I-league Kolkata derby Complete Schedule:
Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal:
Date: 23 January, Saturday.
Venue: Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium)
Time: 4:30 pm IST
TV listings: Ten Action will broadcast the match live in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
