The Mohun Bagan team have some unfinished business to take care of when they entertain defending I-League champions Bengaluru FC in their second leg I-League 2017 match on Saturday at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium Kolkata.
This calendar year, out of the two meetings, both in Bangalore, the head to head record stands in at 1-0 in favour of BFC. While their first I-League clash turned out to be a draw, BFC won their first AFC Cup 2017 fixture against Mohun Bagan.
The build-up to this highly-volatile match in Kolkata could not have been better.
The international break in the middle turned out to be absolutely perfect for the Bengaluru FC army as the likes of Udanta Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and the irreplaceable Sunil Chhetri remained the standout performers for India against Cambodia and Myanmar.
Mohun Bagan, too, had representations in the Indian football team in the form of Jeje Lalpekhlua, Anas Edathodika and Pritam Kotal. Haiti international Sony Norde too was with his national team.
"We are the champions of India and we will be playing like that on Saturday. There is no point coming here if we aren't going be competitive," said BFC coach Albert Roca ahead of the match.
Fatigue might be a concern but injuries are not there for Mohun Bagan, but for BFC, Rino Anto and goalkeeper Ralte remain on the sidelines. The likes of Chhetri, Eugene and Udanta are, however, fit to play.
I-League 2017 table standings
3. Mohun Bagan - 23 points from 12 matches
5. Bengaluru FC - 18 points from 13 matches
Match schedule
Date: April 1
Time: 7 pm IST
Venue: Rabindra Sarobar Stadium Kolkata
Where to watch
India: TV - Ten 2
Live scores: Twitter.
