Mohun Bagan face East Bengal as the two Kolkata heavyweights resume their age-old rivalry in the Hero I-League this Saturday at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The Mariners currently sit pretty at the summit of the league with six points out of six as they look to retain the I-League, while East Bengal will look to leapfrog their bitter-rivals with a victory, after a win and a draw from their opening two fixtures of the season.The Mariners will be looking to avenge their 4-0 defeat at the hands of East Bengal in the Calcutta Football League (CFL) last year, and they will definitely be boosted by the return of Sony Norde (Mumbai City FC), who was an instrumental figure for Mohun Bagan last season as they clinched their first ever Hero I-League.The reigning champions have been in a rich vein of form this season and for that they have their Hero Indian Super League stars to thank. Balwant Singh (Chennaiyin FC) has spearheaded Mohun Bagan’s bid to retain the title, having scored against Aizawl FC and Salgaocar FC. FC Goa’s Luciano Sobrosa, who is spending his first season with Mohun Bagan, has also found his name on the scoresheet after heading in his maiden goal against Salgaocar. On Saturday, there will also be plenty of eyes on Mumbai City FC’s Brandon Fernandes. East Bengal too boast many top-notch performers from the ISL. The Red and Gold Brigade have roped in the likes of Bernard Mendy (Chennaiyin FC), Narayan Das (FC Goa) and TP Rehenesh (NorthEast United FC) as they look to topple their cross-town rivals from the I-League’s summit. Bikash Jairu (FC Pune City) will be another key player for East Bengal this Saturday, having already played a major role in their opening game of the season against Sporting Clube de Goa that saw the diminutive midfielder score to give his side a 2-1 lead and ultimately guide them to a 3-1 victory. Other influential individuals that can have a big say for East Bengal on Saturday are Cavin Lobo (Kerala Blasters FC), Sanju Pradhan (NorthEast United), Mohammed Rafique (Atlético de Kolkata) and Harmanjot Khabra (Chennaiyin FC).With bragging rights at stake, the Kolkata derby promises to be another fascinating encounter in the latest chapter of this more than nine-decade-old rivalry.
