I-League 2018-19: 3 reasons why you should not miss Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal this weekend

#1 Stadium attendance

The stadium is always packed in this fixture

The Kolkata Derby is the most important match of Indian Football. Even the glitzy and glamorous Indian Super League could not attract as many fans as Kolkata Derby in a match.

Thanks to the ISL, Indian fans have witnessed so many big names of world football in front of their eye in the past few years. But somehow, they believe in not-so-famous foreigners only for this match.

In July 13, 1997, in the Federation Cup semi-final, the match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was witnessed by 1,31,781 spectators, a record for Indian football. Bhaichung Bhutia became the first player to score hat-trick in a Derby as East Bengal won by 4-1.

The Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata had the capacity of more than one lakh. As a result of the renovation for U-17 World Cup and installation of bucket seats, the seat number came down to 67 thousand.

In the first Kolkata Derby of this season, there were more than 65 thousand spectators. Come Sunday and the number may increase.