KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club will be aiming for all three points when they face Southern Samity in the ongoing CFL Premier Division – A at Barasat Stadium on Sunday.
Heading into the game on the back of a convincing 5-1 win over Tollygunge Agragami on Thursday, Mohamedan SC will be looking to overcome the challenge of a hectic schedule as they play their third game in a span of eight days.
The Black Panthers currently at fifth on 3 points from 2 games, and win will take them to third but coach Biswajit Bhattacharya has revealed that right now he is not ready to think about the points table and wants to take one game at a time.
“The league is very competitive and all teams are almost equal. Though we won our last match quite convincingly but I think there is still room for improvement and we need to maintain a certain level of consistency going forward,” coach Bhattacharya said.
Facing Southern Samity, coach Bhattacharya is likely to field the same starting line-up that earned club’s first victory against Tollygunge in over three years.
On the other hand, Southern Samity suffered a 3-0 defeat to Mohun Bagan in their first match but the Hemanto Dora-coached side has showed signs of improvement in a barren draw against Pathachakra Club.
Southern Samity will be banking heavily on their Nigerian striker Abubakar Ali Hassan for goals upfront, while the likes of Dipankar Roy, Lalawmpuia Pachuau, Rakesh Masih, Manish Maithani and Avinabo Bag are other key players in the side.
“Southern Samity is a tricky side who has the potential to beat any side on their given day and we have to be cautious against them, but having said that we are going for all three points tomorrow,” coach Bhattacharya added.
For the record, Mohammedan SC were beaten by Southern Samity twice in the 2016/17 I-League 2nd Division with a 2-0 score-line respectively. Coach Bhattacharya, however, feels the previous results will not have any bearing in their next clash, as the match between the same two sides will be played out between a completely different set of players.
The match at Barasat kicks off at 5.00 pm and it will be televised live on Kolkata TV.