Kolkata, Nov 8
Traditional rivals East Bengal FC and debutants Mohammedan SC will clash for the first time in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, each team hoping to win the momentous 1001st match and revive their floundering campaigns.
On a day that will see the competition touch the milestone of four-figure matches when Chennaiyin FC meet Mumbai City FC in the early evening kick-off, it is only fitting that an age-old rivalry of Indian football embraces a new shape to feature in the ISL for the first time. Both these teams, which have fought many battles in the Calcutta league and the IFA Shield for decades, have endured difficult starts to the 2024-25 season, with Mohammedan winning and drawing once in six games, and East Bengal losing all six matches so far.
They are placed 12th and 13th in the points table respectively, but with two-thirds of the season yet to be played, the teams have ample time to get their campaigns and form back on track. Will they be able to lay the bricks for their revival in this iconic face-off in the City of Joy on Saturday?
It will be difficult for East Bengal going by the results of their last two home matches. The Red & Gold Brigade has lost their last two home matches. The only time they were defeated more times on a trot was a sequence of four encounters between October and December 2022. They will want to put an end to this run against Mohammedan SC, thus bagging their first points of the season and setting some sort of momentum to fuel their charge this term.
One of East Bengal FC's biggest concerns this year has been their inability to find the back of the net regularly upfront. They have scored four goals, but that is not reflective of their passing accuracy in the final third, i.e. 68.2%, which is the highest of any team. They have played an average of 115.7 passes per game ending in this region in 2024-25, the second highest of any team (FC Goa - 125.8). The team will have to start converting that into tangible strikes going forward.
East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon highlighted that his team needs to be cautious when they don't have possession and be at the top of their game during defensive transitions. "The game has got national importance. We have massive confidence. Our approach towards the game in difficult moments, when we lose the ball, especially during defensive transitions is very important," Bruzon said.
Mohammedan SC have been fairly impressive on the road given that it is their first experience in the competition. They have won and lost once each in their two away fixtures so far. If they win against East Bengal FC, they will become just the third side to win two of their first three away games in competition history after Bengaluru FC and ATK. Will Mohammedan SC get their act together to present a collective fight against their city rivals?
Mohammedan SC head coach Andrey Chernyshov stressed on defending collectively and not putting the entire onus on the backline for the same. "This is not only about defence. It starts with our attacking players. It's about being together - the whole 11 players pressing high. We have conceded many goals in the last few games but it's not always about defence, it's also because of individual mistakes sometimes," he said.
Mohammedan have been at the receiving end of aerial dominance of other teams in ISL 2024-25, conceding five headed goals this season. It shows that they have been at the prey of lateral deliveries or set-piece deliveries from other teams, and the Mohammedan SC unit will have to fix their backline accordingly to strengthen themselves in this aspect.