Kolkata Giants Mohun Bagan would look to end their eight-year title-less Calcutta Football League campaign this year as they face Pathachakra FC in the imminent opening game of the tournament on Saturday which could put them in the driver's seat for this season.
A newly rebuilt Mohun Bagan squad with most of the previous year's names switching to the much fancied Indian Super League (ISL) for cash and fame, would feature several new names and debuts in the encounter with Nabab Bhattacharya's Pathachakra.
Abhishek Ambekar, Sukhdev Singh and Moinuddin Khan have been signed from I-League champions Minerva Punjab. The Mariners have also roped in big names such Mehtab Hossain from Jamshedpur and Henry Kisekka from Gokulam Kerala to bolster their offensive section of the squad.
Shankarlal Chakrabarty, Mohun Bagan coach stressed on the fact that they would miss the services of Sukhdev Singh in defence after the former Minerva Punjab defender got stuck in a contract dispute with arch-rivals East Bengal. Dipanda Dicka, who arrived in Kolkata a couple of days ago is also set to miss the first team action tomorrow.
Pathachakra, on the other hand, are all set to make a mark in the tournament after the former I-League side (erstwhile United SC) roped in several foreign stars in Victor Kamhuka (Zimbabwe), Anto Pejic (Croatia) and Futa Nakamura (Japan). They have also secured the services of Remco Boere from Sweden as their Head Coach for the tournament.
Pathachakra have always been known for their extensive promotion of local talents at the big stage. Emerging Stars like Budiram Tudu, Snehasish Chakraborty and Monotosh Chakladar are expected to feature in the big game at the Maidan.
Coach Boere is all prepped up and excited for his first official game in India in-charge and is optimistic about the close contest between the two teams.
Date: August 4, 2018
Match: Mohun Bagan vs Pathachakra
Time: 4:30 PM, Indian Standard Time (IST)
Venue: Mohun Bagan Ground, Kolkata
Broadcast: Sadhna News Bangla.
Live Stream: Sadhna News Bangla's official YouTube Channel will provide Live Streaming.
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