Mohun Bagan host Salgaocar FC at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata in the second leg of the Federation Cup tie. Mohun Bagan will look to hold on to their slim advantage after defeating the Goans at their home ground in the first leg. In the first leg, Mohun Bagan had taken a lead in the first minute through Indian international Jeje Lalpekhlua, only to concede two goals later before the whistle blew for half time. Bagan however, came storming back and scored twice in the last 15 minutes of the game through Abhishek Das and Jeje to win the game 3-2.
Also read: Mohun Bagan AC vs Salgaocar FC Live Score (1-0), Federation Cup 2016 India
The three away goals along with the win thus put the Mariners in the driving seat in the tie with the onus on Salgaocar to go for broke.
The Kolkata giants are expected to make just one change in their starting lineup with their marquee forward Sony Norde set to from injury to partner. Meanwhile, Cornell Glen is also expected back from injury, although he might have to be content with a place on the bench.
Also read: Hero Federation Cup (India) 2016 Schedule, Complete Time Table, Today's Match Timings
Bagan coach, Sanjoy Sen, who is looking forward to reaching the semi-finals, outlined his plan for the game saying, “We will have only one thing in mind which is not to concede and score the goal which is important. I know my players have the capability to score goals at any time be it early or even at the 93rd minute of the game”.
Salgaocar, are expected to field an attack consisting of Daryl Duffy, Jackichand Singh and Calvin Mbarga and a midfield featuring Martin Scott, Rocus Lamare and Gabriel Fernandes. The Greens will miss out on Keenan Almeida and Gilbert Oliviera through injury.
Mario Soares, Salgaocar FC’s third coach this season,was confident of his team’s chances against Bagan, saying, “We scored two against them the last time here, we scored two in Goa as well. Like I said, we just have to tighten up defensively. In the three matches we have played against them this season, we have scored five times. So we are capable of scoring two goals against them,”
The Mariners will be looking to hold on to their lead against Salgaocar and buck the trend of upsets in this season’s Federation Cup. I-League champions, Bengaluru FC and Kolkata-based club East Bengal were knocked out by relegated side Aizawl FC and Shillong Lajong respectively. Aizawl were relegated from the I-League this season while Shillong Lajong narrowly missed out on being relegated.
Jeje Lalpekhlua who was recently awarded the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) Player of the Year has been in great form for the Mariners, scoring goals at will. Bagan will be relying on his goals to secure the tie while Salgaocar will be looking to Duffy, their I-League top scorer with 11 goals, to provide the goals in this game.
Mohun Bagan vs Salgaocar FC, Federation Cup 2016: Live Streaming Details
Online Stream: Official I-League Website.
Date: 5 May 2016, Thursday.
Time: 19:00 PM IST.
Venue: Barasat Stadium, Kolkata.
