GOA: Salgaocar FC, who lost 1-3 to defending champions Mohun Bagan just three days back, are keen to return to the winning ways by achieving nothing but three points against the Red and Golds when they host East Bengal at come visiting, here on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Kingfisher East Bengal look to snatch the second position from Bengaluru FC.
Salgaocar FC heads into the fixture on the back of a 1-3 hammering at the hands of the defending champions, courtesy one first half goal from Jeje Lalpekhlua and a brace from Cornell Glen made sure that Bagan secured a double over the Greens in the current Hero I-League.
Santosh Kashyap’s men have looked decent on rare occasions and despite scoring the amount of goals they have, their position on the table points out to their defensive frailness, which they will need to address immediately if they want to extract a good result against a formidable East Bengal side.
The visitors, on the other hand, have had a decent start to the season but are falling behind the rampaging Mohun Bagan on the table, which will not be an easy pill to swallow for any Kingfisher East Bengal fan.
The Red and Golds head into the game on the back of a 2-1 victory against Salgaocar FC at the Barasat Stadium, eight days ago. Goals from Mohammad Rafique and Bello Rasaq in the dying minutes ensured all three points for Biswajit Bhattacharya's men against a spirited Salgaocar FC.
It seems Biswajit Bhattacharya left the win behind and he didn't mince his words while appreciating the fighting spirit shown by the Greens at the Barasat Stadium, "I can tell you that Salgaocar are the toughest opponents we have faced so far. We respect them. They have a very good coach and it will be a tough game against them."
East Bengal have looked incredibly potent going forward all season and have scored some fantastic goals, courtesy of the link up play between Bikash Jairu, Ranti Martins and Do Dong-Hyun. The trio has been supported by a defensively efficient midfield and resilient defence, which has made the difference for them.
If Salgaocar FC is to avoid relegation, they need to start winning crucial games. Kingfisher East Bengal’s offensive threat will be a keynote in Santosh Kashyap’s pocket notebook, but if his side stick together and defend efficiently, they certainly have a chance to pull out the positive result.
Santosh Kashyap, who has garnered positive results since his appointment until the mauling against Mohun Bagan, sounded pretty confident about tomorrow, "We will be prepared for tomorrow's game. We have been working on our mistakes. It will take a good time to build." He further added, "We did well in the second half against Mohun Bagan but I expect a better performance this time from the boys this time."
The match, which will kick-off at 4 PM, will be streamed live on I-League.Org right from Tilak Maidan.
