An in-form Mohun Bagan will look to go atop the points table when they host Shillong Lajong in an I-League football encounter at the Barasat stadium in Kolkata on Wednesday. Bagan are the only unbeaten side in this league so far, and they are coming into the contest at the back of a brilliant 2-0 win over leaders Bengaluru FC.
The defending champions are second in the standings with 14 points from six matches, a point behind Bengaluru, who have played two more matches. The home team's morale will be sky high as they try and grab all three points and solidify their position further in the league.
Lajong are presently sixth on the table with eight points. The visitors are coming into this match after playing out a goalless draw against Aizawl FC on Saturday.
The defending champions will be favourites to win the match
Thangboi Singto's side are yet to win an away match in the tournament and they would have to raise their performance a notch to secure a creditable result.
Lajong have just scored only two goals from eight matches and Singto will be hoping that his Brazilian front man Uilliams Souza fires against a Mohun Bagan defence which hasn't conceded in the last three matches.
Mohun Bagan's goalkeeper Debjit Majumdar has also been in impressive form.
Nigerian Penn Orji and Boithang Haokip will have to play crucial roles in the midfield as their defence is expected to be under pressure against a formidable offensive unit of Mohun Bagan.
The attacking potency of the home team has seen the team score the most goals (12) in the tournament so far with all front liners including Sony Norde, Cornell Glen, Yusa Katsumi, Balwant Singh and Jeje Lalpekhlua among goals.
Glen is among the most successful strikers in the league with four strikes.
"We have to get a strong mindset to do well against the defending champions. We need to convert the chances we create in the match. It will be a tough match but with the right approach we can fight against Mohun Bagan and get a positive result," Singto said on Tuesday.