East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan: Preview and Prediction
The Great Kolkata Derby popularly known as the ‘Boro Match’ which is one of the main attractions of this Durand Cup edition is up next. Where the ATK Mohun Bagan side will be taking on the challenge of their local and arch-rivals East Bengal as the city supremacy will be on the line.
The first Kolkata Derby of the season will take place at the Salt Lake Stadium in the city of joy which is also the shared home stadium of both sides.
A drawn outcome with Mumbai City in the previous fixture helped the Green and Maroons to open their points account in the 2022 Durand Cup. The ATKMB side is currently in the 4th position in Group B standings and is three points away from the first and second-placed teams.
It’s the need of the hour for the Mariners to fetch maximum match-points from the remaining two fixtures to ensure their qualification for the knockout round.
The Red and Gold Brigade is the only participant club in Durand Cup which is yet to score or concede a single goal in this edition till now. They are currently placed in the third position with two match-points from two games and have a tiny one-point lead over the city counterparts. However, things are going to get tougher for the Torch Bearers as both of their remaining games are against Indian Super League outfits.
Current Form
ATK Mohun Bagan managed to take a wake-up call from their opening defeat and hold the in-form Mumbai City on a 1-1 scoreline. The Goan colossal Liston Colaco opened the scoreline for the Green and Maroons at Salt Lake Stadium to take the driving seat in the 40th minute of the play. However, the Mariners could not shield their lead till the full-time whistle as Jorge Pereyra Diaz’s 77th-minute strike put him on the MCFC scoresheet for the first time.
On the other hand, East Bengal played a goalless battle and respectively shared the match points for the second time in a row. The Red and Gold Brigade faced the I-League side Rajasthan United this time and managed to hold them on a neutral scoreline throughout the game.
However, the Royals had the golden opportunity to take all three points when referee Crystal John awarded them a penalty but the Brazilian forward Sergio Berboza failed to convert it and missed the sitter.
Head to Head record
The Golden Boy is eager to meet the Red and Gold Brigade again
The rivalry between the two oldest Indian football clubs was started in 1921 when the East Bengal Club came into existence and both of them have faced each other 322 times in competitive fixtures. The Torch Bearers are currently leading the head-to-head count with 121 victories over the arch-rivals at a winning rate of 38%. Meanwhile, the Green and Maroons are also not much far behind and standing on 94 wins with a 29% rate while 107 encounters finished on resultless outcomes.
However, the two Kolkata-based combatants haven’t quarrelled with each other at the prestigious stage of the Durand Cup for more than a decade. Hence, this Kolkata Derby game has created a lot of hype and buzz among the fans who are treating it as an important fixture, not just another pre-season game. It’s a golden opportunity for both of them to edge out their counterparts as the Durand Cup record of Boro is currently tied on 16-16.
The Mariners are on an unbeaten streak of straight six games which was initiated in the year 2019 when both of them were I-League outfits back then. The Red and Gold Brigade’s previous victory over their biggest rivals came in the I-League 2018-19 season where they registered a 2-0 triumph. The most recent chapter of the Kolkata Derby was staged in the 2021-22 ISL where a hat-trick of the youngster Kiyan Nassiri thrashed the opponent by 3-1.
Team News
A familiar face on the sidelines for East Bengal
As expected, Juan Ferrando fielded a full-strength Starting Eleven against Mumbai City by replacing the developmental players with first-choice options. As part of the rotation, the ATKMB gaffer is expected to make a few changes to prevent his main players from injury risk hence we can see the likes of Lenny Rodrigues and Kiyan Nassiri lining up at the kick-off again. Especially the 21-year-old forward Kiyan who scored the opening goal in the Rajasthan United game and also has a hat-trick against EB under his helm.
The first two games went exactly Stephen Constantine’s way the EB side gave more focus on staying back rather than emphasising the offensive department. Kyriakou and Lima are the only foreign players used by Constantine in the Starting XI till now as we may get to see more from the likes of Eliandro and Ivan Gonzalez who made substitute appearances against Rajasthan United. The great wall of EB, Kamaljit Singh will aim to extend his undisputed run further after not conceding a single goal in 180 minutes of play.
Predicted Starting XIs
East Bengal (5-3-2): Kamaljit Singh; Charalambos Kyriakou, Ivan Gonzalez, Sarthak Golui, Ankit Mukherjee, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Alex Lima, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Mobashir Rahman; Sumeet Passi, VP Suhair
ATK Mohun Bagan (5-3-2): Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal, Deepak Tangri, Florentin Pogba, Subhasish Bose; Hugo Boumous, Carl McHugh, Joni Kauko; Ashique Kuruniyan, Liston Colaco
Prediction
The recent record of ATK Mohun Bagan against their arch-rivals suggests that the Mariners won’t be facing any difficulties to emerge victorious in this contest. The gaffer Juan Ferrando and his Green and Maroon boys will leave no stone unturned to win the season’s first Kolkata Derby and extend their triumphant run. The Torch Bearers may stand with lower chances as of now but they should take inspiration from their previous prowess to stun the favorites.