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Mohun Bagan will seek no less than a win when they face-off against Bhawanipore FC at the Kalyani Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The ‘green and maroon’ brigade will be high on confidence after their solid display in a 0-0 draw against arch-rivals East Bengal last Sunday. Meanwhile, Bhawanipore FC which has been one of the better teams in the league so far and will aim to stage an upset against the defending champions.
Mohun Bagan
Kibu Vicuna’s rotational policy has reaped dividends for his team so far. The Spaniard has shown immense character in leaving out striker Salva Chamorro in the ‘Kolkata Derby’. Starting with a 4-4-1-1 formation, Fran Gonzalez played in the heart of the midfield while Joseba Beitia was given licence to venture into the final third. The tactical masterpiece from Vicuna trumped his Spanish counterpart.
Mohun Bagan created a lot of chances, and a couple of missed chances from the forwards denied them a victory in the marquee clash. But Bagan showed numerous positive signs in that match. It is expected that they would carry the good work in their next match too. As per Kibu’s trend, Salva Chamorro is likely to get a start against Bhawanipore FC.
Suhair VP, who played as the lone striker in the previous fixture may also start alongside the Spaniard. Although he bottled a few opportunities in the ‘Derby’, his overall performance was satisfactory. Their defence, which was shaky in this season, showed a vast improvement in the match against East Bengal. Mohun Bagan may start with the same back four comprising of Gurjinder Kumar, Fran Morante, Lalramchullova and Ashutosh Mehta.
Bhawanipore FC
Shankarlal Chakraborty was Mohun Bagan’s coach last season and led them to a Calcutta League triumph after eight years. The tactician has taken up a new challenge this season and has been successful so far. Bhawanipore FC are at the pole position in the league table with 10 wins, having won 3 matches in the 5 they have played so far.
The loss to BSS Sporting Club last weekend was a setback for the club. A draw or win on Thursday will help the team to stay on track for a maiden Calcutta Football League title. Bhawanipore FC is one of the stronger sides in the league with the likes of Kamo Stephane Bayi, Leonce Dodoz and Victor Kamhuka in their squad.
Key Players
Fran Morante (Mohun Bagan)
The Spanish stopper has played consistently so far this season even when the others failed to impress. He probably had his best match against East Bengal last weekend where he was able to keep the strikers quiet for the entire length of the match. It was Mohun Bagan’s first clean sheet in the league. Kibu’s men have been vulnerable against foreign strikers, and Morante will shoulder the responsibility to check Bhwanipore’s Kamo Bayi and Leonce Dodoz in the upcoming fixture.
Kamo Stephane Bayi (Bhawanipore FC)
The former Mohun Bagan player has been playing in Kolkata for quite some time now. Bayi is an experienced footballer has netted 7 times this season so far, including a hat-trick. The former I-League winner is a big match player; he will pose a huge threat to Bagan at the Kalyani Stadium on Thursday evening. Former Aizawl FC player Leonce Dodoz will partner him in the forward line.
Recent record
Mohun Bagan
L-D-W-D
Bhawanipore FC
W-W-D-W-L
Match Information
Mohun Bagan vs Bhawanipore FC
Date: 5th September 2019
Kick-off: 3:00 PM IST
Live Stream: Log into mohunbaganac.com or Mohun Bagan's official Twitter handle for live updates
Venue: Kalyani Stadium, Kalyani
Prediction
Mohun Bagan may get all three points, but Bhawanipore FC will give them a hard time at the Kalyani Stadium.
Predicted score: Mohun Bagan 2-1 Bhawanipore FC
