This Friday, Indian football fans are going to watch the third Kolkata Derby of the season. This time it will decide who among the two sides will march forward into the Semifinals of The Kalinga Super Cup. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal both maintained their winning run in the last two matches and are set to collide in the final match of Group A.
Mohun Bagan played two matches in this tournament and salvaged two tiny wins. The green and maroon conceded early and then made dramatic comebacks in both of those matches. Before heading into the clash against East Bengal the most concerning part for Mohun Bagan is its defense. Mohun Bagan conceded 13 goals in its last eight matches and failed to keep a clean sheet since 2nd December 2023. Even in the last two matches, Bagan conceded goals in crucial times and made things difficult. Coach Clifford Miranda needs to restructure its defense and focus on not conceding an early goal. However, in the midfield, Abhishek Suryavanshi will come back from suspension to join Glan Martins.
Work begins for our final Group A clash of #KalingaSuperCup! 💪#MBSG #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন pic.twitter.com/xcezo5r5v8
— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) January 16, 2024
Meanwhile, East Bengal is doing better than its last few seasons. Under Carles Cuadrat East Bengal reached the Durand Cup final and missed the trophy narrowly after getting beaten by Mohun Bagan. In the Kalinga Super Cup, East Bengal won its first two matches and looked solid. East Bengal has almost the full-strength squad with only two players out for National Duty. So undoubtedly this time it goes into the derby being the favorites. East Bengal already scored more goals than Mohun Bagan which allows it to go into the semis even if they draw against Bagan.
Getting stronger everyday! 💪
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) January 16, 2024
What is your 𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖❓🏋️♂️#KalingaSuperCup #JoyEastBengal #EastBengalFC pic.twitter.com/wBcZg0pFKJ
Roll On.................
Last Five Encounters:
ISL 22/23 : Mohun Bagan 3-1 East Bengal
ISL 22/23 : Mohun Bagan 2-0 East Bengal
ISL 22/23 : Mohun Bagan 2-0 East Bengal
Durand Cup 23/24 : Mohun Bagan 0-1 East Bengal
Durand Cup 23/24 : Mohun Bagan 1-0 East Bengal
Predicted Lineups:
Prediction:
Mohun Bagan 2-1 East Bengal
Kolkata Derby is always unpredictable and most of the time we saw underdogs getting the better of the favourites. However, this time East Bengal is looking stronger than Mohun Bagan as 7 Mohun Bagan players are out on their national duty & 3 players are unavailable due to injuries.
Kick-OFF : 19th Jan 2024 , 19.30 IST
Live Stream : Jio Cinema App & Website
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha
Counting down to the ultimate clash! 🔥
— Mohun Bagan FT (@MBFT89) January 16, 2024
Mohun Bagan SG takes on Emami East Bengal in the #KalingaSuperCup Kolkata Derby on 19th January in a must-win battle.
Mariners, Let's paint the city green and maroon again! 💚❤️#KolkataDerby #MBFT #JoyMohunBagan pic.twitter.com/UPO27tEbOs