ATK Mohun Bagan will be targeting maximum points in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 when they take on SC East Bengal in the Kolkata derby at the Fatorda Stadium on Friday. Widely regarded as the biggest game in Indian football, form and positions on the points table tend to go out the window when these two sides meet.

The Mariners have enjoyed a fine debut campaign in the Hero ISL and are currently top of the standings. Having already secured a spot in the semi-finals, they will head into the clash against SC East Bengal on the back of a four-match winning run and will fancy their chances against their local rivals who they have already beaten once this season.

Incisive in attack and solid at the back, ATK Mohun Bagan have found the back of the net 23 times so far and have kept 10 clean sheets – the most in Hero ISL 2020-21. They have conceded just 10 goals – the fewest in the league – and aren’t easy to break down. The Mariners tend to get stronger as the matches go on and this is reflected in the fact that 19 of their 23 goals this season have come in the second period.

Their attack also seems to be clicking into top gear at the right time of the campaign. Roy Krishna is both ATK Mohun Bagan and the league’s leading scorer with 13 goals. The Fijian and likes of David Williams, Manvir Singh, Edu Garcia and Marcelo Pereira are some of the attacking options that ATK Mohun Bagan possess.

Another Hero ISL debutant this season, SC East Bengal, meanwhile, are out of the semi-final reckoning but will be playing for pride against their biggest rivals with bragging rights on the line. After losing the first derby of the season 2-0 against the Mariners, the Red and Gold Brigade will be keen to make amends and avoid another loss to their arch-rivals.

Even though the points table may paint a different picture, ATK Mohun Bagan can’t take SC East Bengal lightly. They have shown massive improvement as the season has progressed and are more than capable of upsetting the Mariners.  

They have plenty of game-changers – like Bright Enobakhare, Matti Steinmann, Anthony Pilkington and a few others -- in the team and will be hoping that they can step up and deliver on the biggest stage of Indian football against their biggest rivals. A match where legends are born, both sets of players will aim to make a good impression and enjoy themselves on the pitch.     

Squads:

ATK Mohun Bagan

Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharja, Avilash Paul, Arsh Shaikh, Surajit Pramanik

Defenders: Tiri, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Sumit Rathi, Salam Ranjan Singh

Midfielders: Pronay Halder, Javier Hernandez, Edu Garcia, Carl McHugh, Lenny Rodrigues, Jayesh Rane, Regin Michael, Sahil Sheikh, N Engson Singh, Samuel Lalmuanpuia

Forwards: David Williams, Roy Krishna, Manvir Singh, Md. Fardin Ali Molla, Komal Thatal, Marcelo Pereira

SC East Bengal

Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Mirshad Michu, Suvam Sen, Subrata Paul

Defenders: Daniel Fox, Scott Neville, Narayan Das, Gurtej Singh, N Rohen Singh, Lalramchullova, Rana Gharami, Anil Chawan, Raju Gaikwad, Ankit Mukherjee, Sarthak Golui

Midfielders: Sehnaj Singh, Matti Steinmann, Jacques Maghoma, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Wahengbam Luwang, Bikash Jairu, Yumnam Singh, Surchandra Singh, Loken Meitei, Mohammed Rafique, Aaron Joshua Holloway, Anthony Pilkington, Milan Singh, Haobam Singh, Ajay Chhetri, Sourav Das

Forwards: Balwant Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, CK Vineeth, Girik Khosla, Harmanpreet Singh, Bright Enobakhare

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 99: ATK Mohun Bagan vs SC East Bengal

Date: February 19 (Friday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV