Mariners eye a Cooperage Coup, Mumbai FC are ready to hold their fort in crucial I-League tie
IT IS WITH A tricky prospect that Sanjay Sen and his boys have flown to Mumbai. Last season, they came to the Cooperage in a somewhat similar situation; needing victory to keep up their advantage over Bengaluru FC in the league table.
Facing back-to-back away games, Bagan stumbled at Cooperage; held to a 1-1 draw. This was followed by defeats to Bharat FC and Sporting Clube de Goa that almost ruined their title challenge and took the race down to the last few minutes.
This time, the defending champions will walk out to face Mumbai FC in the first of their two pivotal away games of the season; as they are to make the ever-difficult trip to Bengaluru directly after this match. They are, however, hoping to catch a break at the Cooperage this time. Mumbai FC have recently suffered a setback against DSK Shivajians and 2 of their crucial first team regulars - Taisuke Matsugae and Jayesh Rane - are out of the squad for this match. The Bagan squad has also got some much needed rest after their hectic schedule balancing I-League and AFC Champions League qualifiers.
But Mohun Bagan have always had trouble with smaller pitches like the Cooperage, where the likes of Katsumi Yusa and Sony Norde cannot create space for themselves so easily. Mumbai FC have always been a strong team at home. Even with weaker squads they have successfully held strong teams to draws and just recently they beat Bengaluru FC at Cooperage.
Even in the absence of some key players, Mumbai FC coach Khalid Jamil can put his trust on Arata Izumi, Eric Brown and Ryuki Kozawa for creating some chances. But the main task of the night will be on the likes of Son Min-chol, Pratik Chowdhary and Ashutosh Mehta to hold the Bagan attackers away.
The Mariners are fielding a fresh squad, free of fatigue and minus any new injuries. The likes of Balwant Singh and Lenny Rodrigues are obviously still out, but there's Jeje Lalpekhlua up front along with Cornell Glen. Backing them other than Katsumi and Norde will be Bikramjit Singh and Souvik Chakraborty in the midfield. Kean Lewis put together some good solo effort in the 6-0 loss to Shandong Luneng in China, so it won't be surprising if he gets a few minutes in this game.
The Bagan defence, with the likes of Luciano Sabrosa, Kingshuk Debnath and Raju Gaikwad with Debjit Majumder at goal, has been instrumental in maintaining their status as the only remaining unbeaten side in the I-League. They'll be expected to live up to their reputation tomorrow. With Bengaluru FC, East Bengal as well as Mumbai FC dropping points in their recent matches, these two away games present an opportunity for the Green and Maroons get a head-start in the title race, and they cannot afford to lose a single match at this juncture. And failing to gain full points here will not only be another unwanted stumble from winning form, but put them under a lot of extra pressure before the match against Bengaluru FC.
For Mumbai FC, on the other hand, this match is another opportunity to announce themselves as a major power in the league. They have beaten Bengaluru FC and held East Bengal, and getting something from this game will cement their reputation as one of the forces to reckon with. With 8 points from 5 matches, they have made one of the best starts in their history, and they'd like to finish as high in the table as possible; and maybe even announce a title challenge.
The fan activity around this game is on a peak. A large number of Mohun Bagan fans are going to be present at the venue, especially members of the group Mumbai Pune Mariners. The Yellow Brigade, official fan club of Mumbai FC, will hold a jersey exchange with their away counterparts before the kick-off: a rare show of mutual respect in a league where fan rivalry is often edgy and hyperbolic.
But all the friendly gestures are expected to cease once the two teams take to the pitch, engaging in a major battle that may come to shape the rest of their season.
