I-League: Round 15 Preview – Win or bust for title favourites East Bengal

Overview

The Airtel I-League will head into a seven-week break after next weekend but the title hopes of favourites East Bengal might be over by the time the competition resumes in February if the red-and-gold-brigade fail to beat league leaders Bengaluru FC this Sunday. Most East Bengal fans would point out that their club has three games in hand over Bengaluru but the Kolkata club have already dropped 15 points after ten games and haven’t won back-to-back games in the I-League since February. Moreover it will also be their last match until February 2014 as next week’s game against Mumbai FC has been postponed because the of the club’s pre-centenary celebrations.

East Bengal currently trail Bengaluru by 12 points and there are five other teams above Armando Colaco’s side so they badly need to win and do the double over the I-League debutants. Third-placed Pune FC would be hoping for a draw in Bangalore as that would allow them to close the six-point gap with Bengaluru and the Red Lizards also have played one game less. Pune FC though face the challenge of United SC in Kalyani with the Kolkata club earning a point in the reverse fixture in Pune two weeks ago.

Such is the competitiveness and unpredictability of the I-League that the modest squads of second placed Sporting Clube and fourth placed Shillong Lajong are also in the title race. Only a point separates the two and each side have won their last two matches. Whoever gets maximum points from this fixture could get closer to Bengaluru if they fail to beat East Bengal. The other three fixtures of this matchday involves bottom half teams starting with Mohun Bagan’s home match against Dempo on Saturday. The two giants share the second worst offensive record in the league so don’t expect too many goals from this.

On Sunday champions Churchill Brothers will be desperate for a win over Mohammedan Sporting, who are winless in four themselves and have Brazilian duo Luciano Sobrosa and Josimar suspended. Even a win wouldn’t move Churchill out of the bottom spot this weekend but it could draw Mohammedan Sporting into the relegation battle something which would cost coach Moshood Bola Abdulaziz his job. In Shillong, a resurgent Rangdajied host one of the form teams of the league, Mumbai FC in what can be called as the IMG-Reliance derby with ten loanees from AIFF’s commercial partners in contention to play in the match. Mumbai are unbeaten in four and would be determined to continue that run against Rangdajied, who have won two of their last three.

Fixtures

Saturday: Mohun Bagan vs Dempo (17:00); Sporting Clube vs Shillong Lajong (15:30, LIVE on Ten Action)

Sunday: United SC vs Pune FC (14:00); Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal (15:00, LIVE on Ten Action); Churchill Brothers vs Mohammedan Sporting (15:30); Rangdajied United vs Mumbai FC (17:00)

Game of the round

Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal

Bengaluru FC coach Ashley Westwood has been playing down the title talk despite having a six-point lead at the top but he referred to his side as the Manchester United of India saying that every opponent lifts their game whenever they are facing Bengaluru. On Sunday they host East Bengal, one of the most successful clubs in Indian football history, knowing that a win could kick the Kolkata club out of the title race as Bengaluru would go 15 points clear of Colaco’s team. Bengaluru will be confident of achieving that as they have won five of their seven home games and currently are on a four-match winning run.

The I-League debutants suffered their biggest defeat in the reverse fixture in Kalyani, a 2-0 loss. But the rain-soaked conditions that day favoured East Bengal a lot and that won’t be the case this time as the game will be played on the artificial turf of Bangalore Football Stadium where the hosts will also enjoy the passionate support of their growing fan base. Forwards Sunil Chhetri and Sean Rooney have 15 goals between them and John Johnson and Curtis Osano have been the best central defensive pairing this season but crucially Johnson is ruled out of this clash due to suspension.

East Bengal may be stronger on paper but Bengaluru have nothing to fear and yet all the pressure will be on the visitors to get maximum points. With the squad that East Bengal have, the tally of 15 points from 10 matches is just not good enough. They haven’t won back-to-back games this season and lost the good habit of scoring in every match in the goalless stalemate with Salgaocar in midweek. Having two coaches in the same season hasn’t helped East Bengal’s cause especially because Colaco is yet to address the lack of balance in midfield. Injuries have added to Colaco’s woes as midfield general Mehtab Hossain is ruled out while dependable centre-back Uga Okpara is doubtful.

The 2013 AFC Cup semi-finalists will have 13 more matches after this fixture but no game in the I-League is easy these days so matches in hand doesn’t guarantee points. Therefore even a draw in this match will leave East Bengal with too much ground to make up and they have lacked consistency in the league over the past ten months. The Kolkata giants have enough quality to beat Bengaluru in their own backyard but Colaco needs big name players like Edeh Chidi, James Moga and Lalrindika Ralte to come up with top performances. This match could well see the start of East Bengal’s assault on the league crown or bring a premature end to their title hopes. Their fans would be hoping it’s the former.

Players to watch out for

Foreigner: Odafa Okolie (Mohun Bagan)

With Dempo likely to play without a foreign defender, Odafa would be fancying his chances of getting on the scoresheet. The Mohun Bagan skipper has only managed one in five games but has been creating goals and will be hoping for some quality service in this match.

Indian: Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)

On current form the India captain is undoubtedly the league’s best player as he has netted braces in three consecutive matches. Sunil is a contender for the top scorer accolade and he would be aiming to continue his fine form and end the title aspirations of his former club East Bengal.