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What's the story?
Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan are all set to kick off their campaign in the season opener against Minerva Punjab FC, but manager Sanjoy Sen feels that a flight delay en route to Ludhiana could prove vital as his side missed a practice sessions ahead of the away match.
In case you didn't know....
This is the 11th edition of the I-League and it will run parallel to the cash-rich Indian Super League, which has already begun. While Mohun Bagan start as one of the favourites to win the tournament, Minerva Punjab will be looking to finish at a respectable place in the table.
The heart of the matter
Mohun Bagan reached Ludhiana very late on Thursday due to a flight problem. In the last season, the ‘Mariners’ got the better of the Punjab-based team on both occasions and Sen is hopeful to repeat the same.
Sen said, “We came very late in Ludhiana; we reached very late due to Flight problem. As we are playing an away match so it would have been better than we had an extra session of practice but now we need to deal with what we have in hand.”
What's next?
Mohun Bagan are a heavyweight team, especially with the likes of talismanic winger Sony Norde in their squad along with playmaker Ansumana Kromah and striker Dipanda Dicka. The biggest threat to their I-League dreams this year will come from their arch-rivals East Bengal, who are also quite a balanced unit.
Author's take
The first match of the league is important, and the visitors would definitely not take the match lightly. Minerva Punjab are a team with young players; they are sure to give a tough fight at their home ground. Before the start of the match, both the teams will observe two minutes of silence in the memory of late AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.
