Mohun Bagan look to bounce back after derby loss as Gokulam Kerala come visiting

Kolkata, January 29, 2019: Former champions Mohun Bagan, staring at a worst ever top-flight performance in their legendary history, will look to bounce back after a second derby loss to arch-rivals Quess East Bengal (QEB) on Sunday as Gokulam Kerala come calling on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).
The game is scheduled for a 5 PM IST kick-off.
The visitors are languishing in 10th position, having garnered 11 points from their 13 games so far and despite bringing in Gift Raikhan as Technical Director and a couple of foreign strikers in Trinidadian Marcus Joseph and Ghanaian Charles Foley, they have not been able to get back to winning ways.
They have picked up just two points in their last six games and will need to punch way above the weight to put it over a much more solid Mohun Bagan, on current form.
The hosts did go down to QEB in a derby clash but under new coach Khalid Jamil, they had registered two wins before that and by and large have been far more consistent over the season when compared to their Wednesday visitors.
Khalid Jamil at the pre-match press conference said, “Our last match was not good but we are looking to give our best. All the players are mature and professional so they are ready to play the match not thinking about the past. Football is a team game and no one person can be blamed for it. We must work hard as a team. Our aim is to get the three points for every match we play. The league is unpredictable all the top five teams are good and can win the title.”
The only silver lining for Gokulam in recent times has been Marcus Joseph, the top scorer of the Trinidadian pro-league, coming in to score twice for his new club in two games.
Gokulam also have talent and potential in the likes of Arjun Jayaraj and Rajesh and can be a handful on their day, as they had been in the first leg encounter against Mohun Bagan, not only denying the ‘Greean & Maroons’ a win with a late equaliser but also finishing the game very strongly.
Gift Raikhan said, “Football is not about winning or losing, but it is about good performance. Both the teams will fight and put up a good match. Mohun Bagan is good in attacking but we will be giving our best. Tomorrow’s match is very important for Gokulam. We need the three points and hoping everything will go fine.”
That first leg clash is one of the reasons why Mohun Bagan find themselves in the position, sixth on the table, that they are in today -failing to close out key games in which they were on top.
However, they lead Gokulam comfortably on most game parameters and will go into the match as favourites. Gokulam will look to find solace in a yet unbeaten Hero I-League head-to-head record against the Kolkata giants.
Mohun Bagan will come out all guns blazing to overcome the setback of the derby loss and Gokulam, surely the wearier of the two sides after being a month and a half on the road, if not more emotionally drained, will find them a handful.
The 11 teams from 10 states of the 12th Hero I-League are – Defending Champions Minerva Punjab FC (Punjab), Aizawl FC (Mizoram), Neroca FC (Manipur), Shillong Lajong FC (Meghalaya), Mohun Bagan AC & Kingfisher East Bengal (West Bengal), Gokulam Kerala FC (Kerala), Churchill Brothers FC Goa (Goa), Indian Arrows (Odisha), Chennai City FC (Tamil Nadu), Real Kashmir FC (Jammu & Kashmir)
by Aiff media
Rajasthan United rope in Mumbai League’s Top scorer Alister Anthony
The 22 – year old forward with a penchant for goals was one of the standout performers for Ambernath United – Atlanta FC in their title-winning run of MFA Elite…
Coaching his way to success – Ryan Roy Shah
Coach Ryan Roy Shah, who hails from Pune, decided to take an unconventional route in his coaching career, when he alongside his AIFF and AFC certifications, went for UEFA ‘B’…
Tickets for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022™ launched
New Delhi, 05 August 2022: Ticket sales for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022™ was officially launched on 5th August at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi in the presence…
FC Bengaluru United sign Hummel as their official kitting and merchandise partner
Bengaluru, 02 August 2022: FC Bengaluru United have announced that Hummel, a premium sportswear brand, will be their official kitting and merchandise partner for the upcoming 2022 season. The Danish sportswear brand, one of the…
131st Durand Cup Trophy Tour kickstarts in home of defending champions FC Goa
FC Goa take on Mohammedan Sporting in the tournament opener on August 16 Goa, August 2, 2022: The Trophy Tour for the 131st edition of the historic Durand Cup football…
Inter District Championship / WIFA Inter District / Women Football
WIFA Inter District Championship: Bhandara edge Aurangabad 4-3, Gondia, Dhule win big
In a high-scoring tournament opener, Bhandara came from two goals behind to beat Aurangabad 4-3 while Dhule and Gondia kicked off their respective campaign with huge dominating wins WIFA Inter…
Inter District Championship / WIFA Inter District
WIFA Inter District Championship Day 2: Host Palghar Knock Out Amravati; Nagpur Move To Next Round
Riding on a brilliant hat-trick from Tanvi Patil, Host Palghar registered a comprehensive 5-0 win while Gondia and Nagpur move to the next round with comfortable wins. Day 2 of…
Inter District Championship / WIFA Inter District
WIFA Inter District Championship: Mumbai, Kolhapur, Pune, and Nagpur book Semifinal spot
Mumbai win big and Kolhapur knocked out Gondia to book semi-final spots while Pune edged host Palghar by a solitary goal margin. Mumbai rode on Akansha and Valencia’s hat-trick to…
Mumbai City FC complete signing of Jorge Pereyra Díaz
Mumbai, 4 August 2022: Mumbai City FC are delighted to confirm that the club has completed the signing of Jorge Pereyra Díaz. The Argentine centre-forward joins the Islanders on a…
WIFA Inter District / WIFA Women's Championship
WIFA Inter District Championship: Mumbai, Kolhapur Set Up Final Clash
Defending champions Mumbai breezed past Nagpur to reach the final and will now defend their title against Kolhapur who edged past Pune 2-1 in the second semi-final. Two goals on…
OSCAR SSE to conduct trials for Youth I League and YPL team in the U13 category in Mumbai
Mumbai-based OSCAR SSE will conduct trials for their Youth I League and YPL team on 16th and 17th July 2022 at Wings Sports Centre ground. Oscar SSE is a 2-star…
ROQS to host trials for MFA Super Division
ROQS is revamping their squad for the upcoming season of the MFA Super Division. The team is organising trials for the men’s football team on Monday, 11th of July, 2022….
MSP Academy is holding trials for the upcoming MFA Youth League
MFA Super Division club Mumbai Soccer Prodigies will be conducting trials for their MFA Youth League campaign on 22nd May 2022 in Bandra, Mumbai. Founded in 2006, the Mumbai Soccer…
Mumbai Football / Recommended / Trials
Football School of India to conduct Youth Trials
Mumbai-based Football School of India is going to conduct youth trials for its boys and girls squads. The trials will be conducted for players in the age group of under-13…
Bengaluru FC Elite Youth Football Trials
Bengaluru Football Club is a professional club that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL) and are past champions of the I-League and ISL. The club has launched its Soccer…
D’Souza Football Academy to conduct Youth Trials
Mumbai-based D’Souza Football Academy is going to conduct football scholarship trials for its youth squads. The trials will be conducted for players in the age group of under-7 to under-15….
Oscar SSE to conduct trials for Youth I-League in U13, U15&U18 category in Mumbai
OSCAR SSE, an AIFF Accredited Academy invites all U13, U15 & U18 players from ALL SOCIO-ECONOMIC backgrounds for football trials to join our Elite teams to train round the year…
Elite Division / MDFA / Recommended / Trials
Air India to conduct senior team trials for MFA Elite League on Monday
Mumbai-based Air India FC is set to conduct trials for their Senior Team to play the MFA Elite (Corporate) Division. One of the top-tier clubs from Mumbai – Air India…
MDFA / Mumbai Football / Recommended / Trials
Air India to hold youth team trials on Monday
Mumbai-based Air India FC is set to conduct trials for their Youth Team for the MFA Super (Corporate) Division. One of the top-tier clubs from Mumbai – Air India will…
MDFA / Recommended / Trials
Bhaichung Bhutia’s Residential Academy set to conduct trials in Mumbai
16th March, 2022: Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) will conduct Residential Academy trials in Maharashtra for the academic year 2022-23. In the next few months, the trials will be organized…