Mohun Bagan take on South China in AFC Cup away from home in a battle to overcome gloom

IT'S BEEN NEARLY two weeks since Mohun Bagan started their AFC Cup campaign with a handsome win against Maziya at Guwahati. 

In terms of pure footballing numbers, not much has changed. The Mariners are still on top of the I-League table. They have played 2 away games in Goa, beating Salgaocar and getting a draw against Sporting Clube de Goa. They are still the only unbeaten side in the league, and have a game in hand over Bengaluru FC who have caught them in points.

But off the field incidents have rocked the defending champions of India to the core. Sanjoy Sen, the head coach, has received an 8 match ban from AIFF over his "sold out" comment. Now, while that only applies to I-League and Federation Cup, Sen is under pressure to reverse the gloom that has descended on the Mariners' camp after this development. The match against South China AA in the AFC Cup group stage tomorrow is going to be a test for the team to do their best even when such off the field controversies are looming over their heads, threatening to stifle their efforts to defend their I-League title.

Their opponents, South China, are a 112 year old club that is one of the most successful teams in the history of Hong Kong football. At its inception, it was the original Chinese Football Team. And it continues to be a force to reckon with in the Hong Kong Premier League. They have won 40 top-tier league titles and finished 4th last season.

While Bagan are in the AFC Cup after a while, South China have been something of a regular. They made it to the quarter finals last year, losing to Johor Darul Ta'zim in the end.

Although the team boasts a strong foreigner presence in Ecuadorian duo Felix Borja (forward) and Cristian Mora (goalkeeper) along with Australian Ryan Griffiths (forward) and Brazilian Luiz Carlos (midfielder), their recent form hasn't been very up to the mark. They have managed to win only 1 of the last 3 league games they played and the start of their AFC Cup campaign, away at Yangon United, ended in a 2-1 loss. 

Yet it's their pace and swift passing game that has Sen worried. He will be looking to strengthen the defense by benching an under-performing Raju Gaikwad and using Pritam Kotal. And now that Brandon Fernandes is out with an injury, he may use Souvik in the middle with Katsumi on the right flank; or Kean Lewis may come in on the right leaving Katsumi to his attacking midfield role. The likes of Luciano Sabrosa, Dhanachandra Singh and Pritam Kotal will have a job in their hand trying to disrupt the smoothness of the South China attack. Sony Norde, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Cornell Glen will have to look for an early goal if the Mariners are to turn the tide on the home team and leave with a point or three from this crucial away fixture.

The match, being played in a pleasant 20 degree setting in the Tseung Kwan O Sport Ground, Hong Kong is live on Star Sports 4 tomorrow at 5:30 pm; the first AFC Cup fixture of an Indian club to be televised this season. It will be a rare treat for the Indian football fans as seeing their clubs play in Asia is a seemingly rare privilege in this country.