There is very little to separate the two sides with Salgaocar and Mohun Bagan sharing 18 points each. Even on team strengths, there is little to differentiate, although Salgaocar coach Derrick Pereira is now keen to show that his team has matured during the 60-day break.
"We tried a lot of combinations during the break and also the Federation Cup. Our intention was to strengthen our bench strength," said Pereira.
Salgaocar lost out on a place in the Federation Cup semifinals, and while that may have been a cause for disappointment, the former I-League champions are bristling with confidence following the capture of Nigerian striker Dudu Omagbemi.
"He is a lot mature player and will be a huge asset. He will give us an edge upfront," said Pereira.
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Salgaocar have all of their players available for the crucial clash against Mohun Bagan, trained by their former coach Karim Bencherifa.
Mohun Bagan faced Salgaocar in the Federation Cup group stage and managed to hold them 1-1, a result that was good enough for them to seal a place in the semifinal where they lost against Churchill Brothers.
Bagan does not have a favourable record against Salgaocar in Goa but coach Karim Bencherifa will be encouraged by the fact that they have already defeated them in the Airtel I-League. It were Mohun Bagan who ended Salgaocar's rollicking start to the league and bagged their first win of the season.