Opponent watch: East Bengal

by Siddharth Yadav April 5, 2016

East Bengal will be looking to maintain their fine run of form when they entertain Mumbai FC on Tuesday evening at Barasat Stadium in a crucial HERO I-league match. The Red & Golds surely got a major boost when they defeated their bitter rivals Mohun Bagan 2-1 in Siliguri which not only gave them the bragging rights but also made the title race wide open. East Bengal has won four of their last six games, scoring 11 goals in the process.

Biswajit Bhattacharya’s side will go all in as a win against Mumbai FC will at least help them to maintain the pressure on Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC for the HERO I-league title.

Current League Position: 3rd (23 Points)

Head Coach: Biswajit Bhattacharya

Biswajit Bhattacharya was appointed after the departure of Eelco Schattorie at the end of the last season. Bhattacharya was also the head coach of Chirag United Club Kerala previously in I-league and he is one of the reason behind East Bengal’s tremendous performance this season.

He has also represented Indian Football Team as a forward in 1984 Asian Cup. Apart from that, Bhattacharya has played for East Bengal too.

Key Players:

Ranti Martins who his leading the goal scoring charts this season with 12 goals can surely proved to be potent threat for Mumbai FC. Moreover, the Nigerian is one of the most prolific striker ever to grace I-league/National Football League. His partner in crime Do Dong-Hyun who is currently in impressive form can cause a trouble to Mumbai’s defense along with Bikash Jairu. It was Dong’s brace which helped The Red & Gold to prevail against Mohun Bagan last week in Kolkata Derby.

Bernard Mendy is yet another name in East Bengal’s lineup who can prove to be decisive. The former Hull City wing back is known for his blistering pace and overlapping runs.

Head to Head:

Mumbai FC has a better Head to Head record against East Bengal in HERO I-league. Both the sides has met 16 times with Mumbai FC winning six of them while The Red & Golds has went on to win four times.

Biswajit Bhattacharya’s side although has a better home record against The Yellow Submarines as they have won three times out of the seven games played in Salt Lake Stadium.