I-LEAGUE Media Team
KOLKATA: Kingfisher East Bengal take on Bharat FC in a Round 6 Hero I-League encounter on Sunday at the Salt Lake Stadium, with both teams coming off losses in their respective last round games.
The Kalyani-owned team are rock bottom in the table having garnered only a solitary point in the three matches they have played so far.
With the team having scored only a solitary goal so far, the lack of creativity is indeed telling with chances coming at a premium.
Romauld Boco is the only creative midfielder they possess and he is deployed in a role further in attack to orchestrate play effectively.
Kris Bright will start as the lone striker upfront, while Bobby Hassell will be expected to marshal the defense.
Stuart Watkiss meanwhile needs to sign a creative midfielder desperately to fill the void, as was evident in their 1-0 loss against Bengaluru FC.
The Red and Golds meanwhile were brought crashing down to the ground as they went down to Salgaocar in Goa without much of a fight.
Armando Colaco was the first to accept it and emphasized that his team knew how to take on Bharat FC.
“We have been through a shake-up in every department. We still don’t have a fixed first 11. Bharat FC are a strong team and have many experienced players. They play 4-2-3-1 and we have to play accordingly.”
The bad news for the East Bengal faithful is that star striker, Dudu Omagbemi is suffering from a bad case of flu and might not make the starting lineup come matchday.
On the other hand it seems Arnab Mondal has recovered from his injury and both he and Cavin Lobo are expected to feature in the starting lineup. Mehtab Hossain who has been missing in the last two matches is still nursing a slight niggle and its touch and go.
With both teams eager to bag a win, the match will be an exciting one at the Salt Lake Stadium. Moreover for the Kolkata side, with the derby in three days they need to show a good account of themselves to gear up for the all important encounter.
Match KO: Feb 15 @ 7 pm IST (Ten Action)
Hashtag: #KEBvKBFC
