ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: Preview and Prediction
The fourth match of matchday 4 of the 2022-23 Indian Super League season will see two arch-rivals, ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, locking horns in the first Kolkata Derby of this year’s league. The match will be played at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan on Saturday.
ATK Mohun Bagan has blown hot and cold so far in this competition. They started off with a disappointing 1-2 defeat against Chennaiyin but made up for it with a stunning 5-2 victory against Kerala Blasters.
East Bengal, on the other hand, had a disastrous start. They suffered a 1-3 defeat against Kerala Blasters and then followed it up with a 1-2 loss against Goa. However, the Torchbearers have since made a comeback, as they won 3-1 against NorthEast United in their last match.
Current Form
ATK Mohun Bagan players might still be frustrated with their performance in the first match against Chennaiyin, as they enjoyed a 1-0 lead until goals from Kwame Karikari and Rahim Ali handed them a defeat.
However, the performance was miles better in the last match against Kerala Blasters. Despite playing away from home, the Mariners dominated the match from the first minute and secured a 5-2 win, thanks to a Dimitri Petratos hat-trick and goals from Joni Kauko and Lenny Rodrigues.
As for East Bengal, their performance against Kerala Blasters lacked spark as they suffered a 1-3 loss, with Alex Lima being the lone scorer. After conceding first in their second match against Goa, a Cleiton Silva penalty helped the Torchbearers to make the scoreline 1-1 until a 94th-minute freekick from Edu Bedia made it two defeats in as many matches for them.
However, Stephen Constantine’s men made a stunning comeback in their last match against NorthEast United. Silva, Charalampos Kyriakou and Jordan O’Doherty enlisted their names on the scoresheet as their team registered a 3-1 win.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head records are completely in favour of the green and maroon half of Kolkata. These two teams have met on four occasions in ISL, and ATK Mohun Bagan has emerged victorious in all of those matches.
The last meeting resulted in a 3-1 win for the Mariners. Young attacker Kiyan Nassiri came on as a substitute and scored a fantastic hat-trick, while East Bengal’s solitary goal was scored by their former Dutch midfielder, Darren Sidoel.
Team News
ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando could opt to field an unchanged starting XI from the last match against Kerala Blasters, given that his players hardly put a foot wrong in that fixture. However, it will not be surprising to see one change.
Deepak Tangri had a poor outing in midfield, and the Mariners looked better when Rodrigues came on as a substitute. Given his vast experience, Rodrigues could be handed a starting XI role in the Kolkata Derby.
Similarly, despite his team winning the last fixture, Constantine is also expected to make changes to the East Bengal starting XI. Right-back Sarthak Golui had a tough time keeping Jithis MS quiet against NorthEast United, but given that the Mariners have a livewire in Liston Colaco as their left-winger, the highly experienced Kyriakou could revert to his usual position in this match.
In his place in the midfield, Souvik Chakrabarti could slot in as he has recovered from his injury. While Lima has also recovered from his injury, O’Doherty is expected to retain his place after a fine outing against the Highlanders.
Predicted XIs
ATK Mohun Bagan (4-3-3): Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal, Brendan Hamill; Manvir Singh, Joni Kauko, Lenny Rodrigues, Ashique Kuruniyan; Hugo Boumous, Dimitri Petratos, Liston Colaco.
East Bengal (4-4-2): Kamaljit Singh; Charalampos Kyriakou, Ivan Gonzalez, Lalchungnunga, Jerry Lalrinzuala; VP Suhair, Jordan O’Doherty, Souvik Chakrabarti, Naorem Mahesh Singh; Cleiton Silva, Thongkhosiem Haokip.
Prediction
Though both teams currently have three points on their account, ATK Mohun Bagan has an undeniably better squad on paper, while the head-to-head records are also completely in their favour. Hence, we have predicted the Mariners to win this match.