KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club will hope to end on a high when they take on Mohun Bagan in the last match of their 2016/17 Calcutta Football League campaign at the Kalyani Stadium on Sunday.
Currently on third with 17 points from 9 games, the Black Panthers would not settle for anything less than a victory against Mohun Bagan which could ensure the runners-up spot for them if Tollygunge Agragami, who are on 11 points from 7 outings, drop points in any of their remaining games.
“The journey so far has been a magnificent one. Though some doubted us at the beginning but we were confident and always played for a win. Boys showed tremendous heart in every game and I am proud of the team that we have reached this far,” Mohammedan SC head caoch Mridul Banerjee said reflecting back upon the team’s performance in the league.
Though Mohammedan SC lost 0-1 to East Bengal in their last game on Thursday but coach Banerjee beleives that there are some positives which his team can take from that game.
“Every match is different. We don’t want to think about what has happened in the past and just concentrate on the tomorrow’s game. I have said in the past that I only focus on one match at a time and here in Mohammedan SC my aim is to win every game, so even in the last game my team will be going all out for full three points,” coach Banerjee added.
On the team news front, Mohammedan SC will be missing the services of skipper Rana Gharami and winger Atinder Mani owing to their accumulation of yellow cards.
Going into the game, which will be CFL’s second and last Kolkata Derby, Mohammedan SC will be relying heavily on Leonce Dodoz and team’s top scorer Manvir Singh to get past a resolute Mohun Bagan defence that have conceded least number of goals in the league.
But in the absence of Rana the real test awaits for the defense. It promises to be a strenuous task for the Lancine Toure and company containing the of Darryl Fuffy and Daniel Bidemi, who have scored 6 goals each in the competion and will be looking to add to their tally.
For the record, Mohammedan SC are unbeaten against Mohun Bagan in their previous three CFL encounters, a record that will give a boost to Mohammedan SC’s confidence.
The match at Kalyani Stadium will kick off at 2.30 pm and will televised live on ETV News Bangla.