ISL 2022-23: East Bengal FC seek redemption as ATK Mohun Bagan eye top 4 in historic Kolkata derby
The second and final Kolkata Derby of the season will see East Bengal FC and ATK Mohun Bagan collide at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.
FollowEast Bengal FC and ATK Mohun Bagan will face off in the season's second and final Kolkata Derby on Saturday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23.
With a victory, the Mariners would have the opportunity to lock up a top-four finish. This is crucial because ATK Mohun Bagan will have home-field advantage in the first round of the playoff knockouts. On the other side, the Torch Bearers can retake the ninth position from Jamshedpur FC with a win.
East Bengal FC will want to finish the season strong as it nears its conclusion. The sole setback for Stephen Constantine's team in their last four Hero ISL contests came against Chennaiyin FC roughly two weeks ago.
East Bengal FC were the only team to win all three games in the Mumbai Football Arena this year when they defeated Mumbai City FC's backup team 1-0 last week in their own backyard. Cleiton Silva, a striker, has so far netted 12 goals. The Brazilian is level with Diego Mauricio in the Golden Boot race this season.
"We are as prepared as we can be for this game. We had a fantastic result last week against Mumbai, where we stopped their unbeaten run at home and also prevented them from scoring," said Constantine. "It was a good day for us last week after we played well. We are confident ahead of the next game and will be fighting for all three points," he added.
Given the club's recent performance, ATK Mohun Bagan has some cause for concern. The Mariners have only achieved one victory in their last four Hero ISL games. Yet, that victory came last week against Kerala Blasters FC, the team's most direct competition for a top-four position. After over two months, head coach Juan Ferrando will aim for their first consecutive victory in the league.
Last time around, ATK Mohun Bagan overcame a goal deficit to defeat the Blasters 2-1. Dimitri Petratos, who has scored eight goals so far, bagged his seventh assist of the season as he set up one of Carl McHugh's goals. The midfielder, who is now the third-highest goal scorer for the team this season, received the other goal from Manvir Singh.
“Our focus is on winning the match and getting the three points and that is it. We are not thinking about the third and fourth position,” said Ferrando. “For us, it is not important who scores for the team. The most important aspect for us is controlling the spaces when we attack and doing the same while defending. All players working in tandem is good for the team,” he added.
The Kolkata Derby has been a one-sided affair so far in the Hero ISL as ATK Mohun Bagan have won all five previous encounters against East Bengal FC.
