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The first top of the table clash in this season’s I-League is here. Second-placed East Bengal will face league leaders Chennai City FC in their first home match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.
East Bengal are riding high on confidence after two back to back away wins against NEROCA FC and Shillong Lajong. Chennai City are also confident especially after their solid performance in the Southern Derby against Gokulam Kerala FC.
Asked whether Chennai will be a tough opponent to beat, East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez said, “Not only this one, but all the matches will be difficult. We have won two matches, so expectation will be bigger from the supporters. Chennai are also coming with a good form. But we are confident. The players are relaxed and they are ready for a good show.”
Shrugging off last season’s disappointment, Chennai are performing superbly under new coach Akbar Nawas and quite surprisingly are on top of the table. Their striker Pedro Manzi and midfielder Nestor Gordillo are in tremendous form. But Menendez refused to see the league table before facing their opponent. “The position in the table is not important. We don’t want to see whether they are in top or bottom of the table. We know they have some Spanish players but we’ll fight for the three points.”
East Bengal have not fulfilled their quota of six foreigners due to the transfer ban. The decision will be reviewed by the All India Football Federation Appeal Committee on Friday. If the decision is not overruled, East Bengal will not be able to sign a new player until 31st January 2019. Menendez though is not thinking about signing the sixth foreigner. When asked about this, the Spanish coach said, “We already have talented players at our disposal. Not only foreigners but also there are Indians who are playing well. We believe in their capability. I am very satisfied with all the players. They will improve in the coming days. Hopefully, we will keep the momentum.”
East Bengal coach has decided to keep all the footballers in a hotel before the match. This is not something new as few eminent coaches have used this strategy to oversee how the footballers are preparing themselves before the match.
