Mohun Bagan to miss key defensive players in Kolkata Derby

THE MOHUN BAGAN SQUAD has reached Siliguri to face arch-rivals East Bengal in a long awaited Kolkata Derby clash, and they are missing some key faces.

The team that has traveled to the North Bengal town for the high voltage fixture that may well decide who will win the I-League title is devoid of defensive midfielder and Indian international Pronay Halder, as well as young left back Subhashis Bose. Both the players were regular starters for the Mariners before going down with injuries.

Mohun Bagan will miss the stout presence of Pronay whose physically imposing style of play acted as an extra layer of protection ahead of the back four. Subhashish Bose, though still raw, has been increasingly making himself home at the Green and Maroon brigade with his pacy runs and hard tackles as a wingback.

Without Pronay Halder in the squad, Sanjoy Sen may have to play Sehnaj Singh in a similar role. But the absence of Subhashish, who usually fills the place of the mandatory Under-22 player in the starting line-up, may force Sen to start Azharuddin Mallick up front; something far less than ideal in a high-stakes match like this.

Here's the full squad that has traveled to Siliguri:
Sony Norde, Azaharuddin Mallick, Katsumi Yusa, Darryl Duffy, Debjit Majumder (GK), Souvik Chakraborty, Anas Edathodika, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Kinshuk Debnath, Pintu Mahata, Raju Gaikwad, Shibinraj Kunniyil (GK), Eduardo Soares Ferreira, Bikramjit Singh (sr.), Balwant Singh, Sehnaj Singh