Mohun Bagan are set to host East Bengal in the return fixture of the explosive Kolkata Derby on Saturday. As the Hero I-League moves into Round 11, Mohun Bagan who currently sit on top of the table will look to extend their lead with a win over their domestic rivals at the Salt Lake Stadium.

A number of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) stars will be on show representing the two giants of Indian football. Former ISL teammates have turned opponents and opponents have turned teammates as this derby promises to be a treat for all the ISL lovers. 

Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (Atlético de Kolkata) is likely start in goal for East Bengal and will have to contain probable Mohun Bagan forwards Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh (both Chennaiyin FC) or CS Sabeeth (Kerala Blasters FC). Jeje and Balwant together scored 5 goals for Chennaiyin FC in the ISL whereas Subhasish was also in fine form with four clean sheets. Balwant has also been on a good run of form in the Hero I-League having scored 4 goals in his last 3 appearances. 

Arnab Mondal (Atlético de Kolkata), Abhishek Das (Chennaiyin FC), Raju Gaikwad, Deepak Mondal (both Mumbai City FC), Saumik Dey, Gurwinder Singh (both Kerala Blasters FC) are contention to start in East Bengal’s defence. Arnab Mondal and Saumik Dey recently turned out for India in the FIFA World Cup 2018/AFC Asian Cup 2019 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers against Nepal and will be high on confidence, the latter making his debut for the senior team. 

For Mohun Bagan, Dhanachandra Singh (Chennaiyin FC), Pritam Kotal (FC Pune City) and Anwar Ali (Delhi Dynamos) are staking a claim to start for Mohun Bagan. Kotal also made his senior debut alongside Dey against Nepal and will be looking to carry forward his fine performances into the derby. 

As for the midfield, the Red and Gold Brigade is dominated by players who represented various clubs in the ISL. Harmanjot Khabra (Chennaiyin FC), Mohammed Rafique, Cavin Lobo (both Atlético de Kolkata), Mehtab Hossain (Kerala Blasters FC), Lalrindika Ralte (Mumbai City FC) and Leo Bertos (NorthEast United FC) make up the midfield. Ralte and Lobo both played a part in India’s qualifiers against Nepal, the latter making his senior debut and also winning a penalty.

For the Mariners we have Kingshuk Debnath (Atlético de Kolkata), Ram Malik (Mumbai City FC), Denson Devadas (Chennaiyin FC) and Manish Bhargav (Delhi Dynamos) in midfield. 

The main threat though, comes from East Bengal’s strike force. With players such as Ranti Martins (FC Goa), Baljit Sahni (Atlético de Kolkata), Joaquim Abranches and Dudu Omagbemi (both FC Pune City) available; Shilton Paul (Chennaiyin FC) who is likely to start in goal for Mohun Bagan will have to be at his best. Ranti Martins is currently the Hero I-League’s top scorer with 12 goals, netting five of those in the game against Dempo. 

As the two heavy weights look to lock horns on Sunday, every Hero ISL and football lover in general should expect an evenly contested encounter with most players beaming with confidence. Their earlier encounter in the Hero I-League ended in a 1-1 draw with Ranti Martins scoring for East Bengal and Pierre Boya netting for Mohun Bagan.

Saturday