Distracted by Derby, Mohun Bagan prepare to face a struggling Abahani in AFC Cup home tie

IN MOHUN BAGAN, the wind is already blowing due North.

At the club tent, tickets of Sunday's Kolkata Derby went on sale. There was a long queue for that. Even some East Bengal fans came over to buy tickets. A few heated exchanges of words set the tone for the next edition of India's biggest club rivalry, set to take place far north at Siliguri.

But hardly anyone was talking about tomorrow's important AFC Cup fixture that Mohun Bagan have against Abahani Limited from Dhaka, Bangladesh. 

The continental group stage fixture is important for the Mariners if they want to have a chance to progress to the knockouts. Being placed in the same group as Bengaluru FC where only one team is allowed to go up, every match counts in the race to the top; especially after the setback Mohun Bagan received when they lost to Bengaluru FC at Kanteerava. But ahead of this technically crucial game, the tone at the club tent is flat. The ticket sales are lukewarm; the crowd won't be anywhere near the 13,000-strong fans that gathered at Rabindra Sarovar for the match against Bengaluru FC.

The Abahani squad arrived in Kolkata on Sunday. They went about their practice earlier today at the Rabindra Sarobar, with some players expressing amusements about the green and maroon bucket seats at the stadium resembling the colour of the Bangladesh national flag. The club is practically playing pre-season in the AFC Cup because the Bangladesh Premier League runs only from July to December. As such, they have a generally better rested team. But that did not stop the 2016 BPL champions to lose to Maziya in March, 0-2 at home.

One of the most succesful clubs in Bangladesh, Abahani was established in 1972. The club has a major ongoing rivalry with Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi, the club famous in India for reaching the IFA Shield final and introducing Indian football clubs to the talents of Sony Norde and Wedson Anselme. 

The current Abahani team features a number of former Dhanmondi players, including goalkeeper Shahidul Yousuf Sohel, defender Raihan Hasan, midfielder Sohel Rana and Nigerian forward Emeka Darlington. Champions of last season, the team features a number of Bangladesh internationals. But their main attacking threat remains Welsh striker Jonathan Brown, who has played for Cardiff City and Central Coast Mariners. The team that they have brought is of full strength and they are desperate for 3 points as they face an uphill battle to make a recovery.

But their opponents are having a hard time taking them seriously. Even though head coach Sanjoy Sen kept a straight face when speaking to media saying they would go for 3 points tomorrow, the team selection he has in mind shows a clear preference to Sunday's Derby.

Sony Norde is unlikely to start. Darryl Duffy may not even be in the squad. Pritam Kotal and Anas Edathodika, who played for India and immediately turned out for the Mariners against Bengaluru FC on Saturday, are also being rested. Pronay Halder, who seems to have recovered from the injury that kept him out of the national team's matches in March, will also not be risked before the Derby.

The attitude is clear: Mohun Bagan believe the youngsters in the team can pull this one through. And even if they don't get 3 points from this match, not many will be upset, as long as their key players remain fully rested for Sunday's match.

It's this approach of the hosts more than anything else that would give Abahani some hope of producing a favourable result tomorrow.