Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be eager to get back to winning ways as they host FC Goa at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.
Both these sides are coming on the back of their respective encounters against Mumbai City FC. FC Goa played out a goalless draw at home against Mumbai while Mohun Bagan were at the receiving end of a 2-1 loss on the back of a flurry of suspensions that saw a combined total of seven players getting sent off from the match.
Goa are on an unbeaten run in the league this season under new head coach Manolo Marquez, having won six out of their eight matches so far. They have 20 points at the moment, and a win here will take them to 23 in nine encounters — which is the competition record for any team after those numbers of matches in a single season (Bengaluru FC – 23 points in 2018-19).
Marquez has wasted no time in building a strong squad, with players of the correct profile at his disposal to execute his philosophy consistently on the field. Their defensive solidity is a major reason behind that, having given away only three goals in eight games thus far. With five consecutive clean sheets, they have hit the league record for longest such run in the ISL.
Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando insisted after the last game that they do not have time to ponder upon the absences of players due to injuries and suspensions, and that he has a big enough squad to make up for such situations. Already out of the AFC Cup, they cannot afford any slip-ups on the domestic front and a victory in this game can help them pip Goa to get the top spot in the standings.
“We say we will find a solution. This is not a problem I have now at this moment. Time to think in the team, to prepare the team. That’s all. This is part of football. I don’t like to start crying because I have red cards, they have injuries. This is not my opinion. My opinion is to prepare the team,” Ferrando said.
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