"It will be a tough game but we are looking forward to it" - East Bengal Women striker Sulanjana Raul ahead of the Sethu FC challenge | IWL 2023-24

East Bengal FC will host Sethu FC in their first home game of the Indian Women's League's (IWL) ongoing season at the East Bengal ground in Kolkata on December 23, 2023. The Moshal Girls have had a mixed start to IWL 2023-24 with a win and a loss in two games.

They kicked off their campaign by handing Sports Odisha FC a 2-0 defeat in their den. However, they suffered a loss against Kickstart FC, the runners-up from last season. Karishma Shrivoikar scored a fabulous hat-trick for the Bengaluru-based outfit while Sulanjana Raul scored a late consolation goal for EBFC.

Ahead of their encounter against the 2018-19 IWL Champions Sethu FC, East Bengal head coach Dipankar Biswas and Sulanjana Raul addressed the media on Friday.

Sulanjana has been on fire for the Red and Gold brigade in the ongoing Calcutta Women's Football League, scoring a whopping 17 goals in 9 appearances. However, she is yet to make the starting XI in the IWL, coming off the bench in the first two matches.

The Indian U17 team's striker spoke about playing in their home ground in the IWL for the first time:

"The team and the coach are very confident for tomorrow's game. We will try to get a quality result. We will try to rectify the mistakes that were made against Kickstart FC. It will be a tough game but we are looking forward to it."

She opined on her past year with East Bengal:

"This club has given me a lot. Coach has always supported me. My game has matured and improved a lot. I want to thank them for this. In the future, I will continue to try and give my best for the club."

"I am enjoying this challenge" - Dipankar Biswas

Dipamkar Biswas will look to make the East Bengal Ground the team's fortress in the IWL. (EB Media)

Biswas has been handed the difficult task of juggling two simultaneous tournaments in the CWFL and the IWL. While the CWFL has allowed him to know his squad and his youngsters better, the IWL is a completely different ball game, with tough teams like Sethu FC to be faced.

He commented on how the experience has been:

"Playing two tournaments at the same time is very tough. But I am enjoying this challenge. The pitches, the stadiums, the match-balls are all different. "

Regarding his assessment of Sethu FC, Biswas stated:

"All the teams are strong in this year's IWL. Teams are marginally closer now in terms of quality. There's been a lot of changes at Sethu, just like us. Our investors have given us their full support. These are the games that the players, the coaches, and the spectators look forward to. Hopefully, it will go well tomorrow."

He added a message for the Red and Gold brigade fans:

"I would request our fans to come and fill the stands. It is with your support that our women footballers will find inspiration. Just like you have supported the men's team, we need the same for our girls because the fans are our 12th man. Do not pick at their faults, they are struggling a lot to play their football."

The Moshal Girls will take on Sethu FC at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at the East Bengal Ground. The match will be live-streamed on Indian Football's official YouTube channel.