I-LEAGUE Media Team

KOLKATA: Kolkata giants East Bengal will host Shillong Lajong FC in a Round 4 Hero I-League encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Red and Golds, who are fresh from a win against defending champions Bengaluru FC, will be eager to continuing their winning streak at home. Even though they won the tie, Armando Colaco’s boys looked vulnerable at times in their last match and will try to regroup before Sunday’s clash.

The best news for the side will be the return of Nigerian attacker Dudu Omagbemi, who will be coming back after a spell on the sidelines owing to a hamstring issue. The former Sporting Clube de Goa striker took part in the team’s last two practice sessions before the match and is set to start against the North Eastern outfit.

“Dudu’s return will make the job easy for us. When both of us play together, it becomes hard for the opponent defenders to mark. His addition will make us more dangerous,” Ranti Martins, his partner upfront remarked after Friday’s practice session.

Dudu confirmed that he is now fully fit and is raring to go.

“I am completely fit and have no problem. If the coach wants to field me, I will play against Lajong,” he was quoted as saying.

Abhinash Ruidas, who scored the all important goal in the last match is all set to retain his place in the starting XI, while the defensive organization is also expected to be unchanged.

Speaking about the away side, Lajong suffered a 5-2 humiliation in the hands of Pune FC in the last match and will be desperate to take their journey back on track. The team’s frailties at the back were exposed by the Red Lizards and Thangboi Singto has a lot of work to do going into a game against the mighty Kolkata side.

Cornell Glen scored his first goal of the campaign in the last match and that will be a major relief for the side. Uilliams and Penn Orji excelled in patches in the last match and if they can match the expectations, the hill side will be hopeful to snatch at least a point from this affair.

Boithang Haokip, who played a key role in the first two matches of the team will be hoping to feature in the starting line-up again after a one-match hiatus.

East Bengal have won the bragging rights in 2 of the last 5 I-League encounters between the sides while Lajong have won a solitary one. While the Armando Colaco coached team will try to bag three points to strengthen their title challenge, Singto’s boys will be craving to forget the Pune debacle.

KO: Sunday @ 4:30 pm IST
Social Media Hashtag: #KEBvSLFC