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When East Bengal travel to the Sri Kanteerava Stadium on Friday, November 11, it will be a muted homecoming for Cleiton Silva. The Brazilian forward spent two seasons at Bengaluru FC, but the Blues didn't have the greatest of outings during his time at the club.
Given the underwhelming results and the fact that the teams were playing in bio-bubbles, Cleiton failed to etch his name in the hearts of the fans. But it would be unfair to say that the former Shanghai Shenxin striker wasn't a diligent servant for Bengaluru FC.
Now, when Cleiton returns to what he formerly called his home, the 35-year-old will be donning the colors of East Bengal. The Kolkata giants have had an underwhelming start to their season, suffering four defeats in their opening five games.
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The Brazilian forward, in an interaction with East Bengal's media team, opened up about the team's preparations ahead of the all-important clash, saying:
"I think the preparation has been good, even though most of the results haven't gone our way. We still have to improve in some areas. Our behavior in the games must be like our training because things are going very well in training. I think we have to transfer what we do on the training pitch to match situations."
The rivalry between East Bengal and Bengaluru FC dates back to the I-League and the Federation Cup days. The Torchbearers have won seven of their 14 contests against the Blues, who have won six, with just one game ending in a draw.
"They have some weaknesses like us" - Cleiton Silva on East Bengal's upcoming opponents Bengaluru FC
Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC, helmed by new head coach Simon Grayson, have had a stop-start campaign in the ISL so far. The Blues have four points after four games and are eighth in the points table.
Cleiton acknowledged the sub-standard form of his former side but was quick to underline that Bengaluru FC are a good unit and it will be a difficult encounter for East Bengal. He explained:
"I think Bengaluru FC have good points and bad points like we do. They have strong individual players. Maybe, at the moment, they have some weaknesses like us.
"That said, they are a very good team. We need to be very serious against them. They also want to win because it's their home game. Their current situation isn't that well, but we have to play hard and be brave against them."
Cleiton also talked about the individual quality that the Blues possess, saying:
"Like I said, they have some quality players. They have Indian players like Sunil Chhetri and Leon Augustine, and foreigners like Roy Krishna who's one of the leading scorers of the league. We have to think about them.
"But tactically and generally, we don't want to focus on an individual player. They have several good players and so do we. We need to go in with a positive mindset and try to win the game. We really need those three points."
If East Bengal want to keep their hopes of finishing in the top six alive, Stephen Constantine's side will have to quickly return to winning ways and Bengaluru might be a great place to start.
Cleiton, meanwhile, will definitely be eager to play a pivotal part in the drama that unfolds at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium.
