I-LEAGUE Media Team

KOLKATA: Kingfisher East Bengal will resume their journey in the Hero I-League tomorrow afternoon when they host Sporting Clube de Goa at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

The Red and Golds are fresh from a 2-1 defeat in the AFC Cup against Singapore side Balestier Khalsa FC. The team’s defensive frailties were exposed in the opening minutes by their opponents and coach Eelco Schattorie will have to work hard to fix those problems.

A major boost for the Red and Golds will be the return of skipper Harmanjot Singh Khabra who spent a brief spell on the sidelines after getting injured in the last Kolkata derby. The team will be further strengthened by the inclusion of players like Cavin Lobo, Saumik Dey, Arnab Mondal and Lalrindika Ralte, who are back after national duty.

With Milan Susak is carrying an injury from the last match, Raju Gaikwad is likely to partner Arnab Mondal at the heart of the defense. Lalrindika Ralte will be back in the left wing while it would be interesting to see whether Mehtab Hossain can keep his place in the starting line-up after another mediocre show in the last match.

The good news for the hosts will be the form of Ranti Martins, who is leading the goalscoring charts with 10 in his account. With Dudu Omagbemi also scoring in Singapore, the team will be eager to take on a weak Sporting defense.

“We have conceded eight goals in the last four matches and we have to work on the defensive organization. We have gifted a few goals by losing possession and we have to fix that. Ralte will definitely come in the first XI and I will decide about Milan later,” Eelco told the reporters about the match.

The Flaming Oranje, on the other hand are currently placed at the last step of the ladder and have roped in the experienced Odafa Okolie to turn the tide in their favour.

Odafa, who spent three seasons playing for Mohun Bagan in the city will be aided by another new recruit Mahmoud Al Amna, who is an attacking midfielder hailing from Syria.

“In our situation, we can’t afford to lose a single point from here. Every match is a derby for us and the East Bengal tie is no exception,” Odafa was quoted saying.

The Goan club will also miss the service of India international Sandesh Jhingan, who is now part of the India U23 squad.

Though four of the last five I-League encounters between these sides have ended in draws, both the teams will be eager to bag three points from this tie to help their cause.

Match KO: March 21 @ 4:30 PM IST (Ten Action)
Hashtag: #KEBvSCG