Mohun Bagan to take on East Bengal in a prestige fight

Beleaguered Mohun Bagan would look to exorcise the ghosts of December 9 as they take on East Bengal in the return-leg I-League derby here tomorrow. The two teams will renew their rivalry two months after Yuba Bharati Krirangan witnessed ugly scenes during the ill-fated first-leg fixture with Mohun Bagan staging a walkout leading to a three-year ban that was later overturned by the AIFF. In the context of I-League, Mohun Bagan cannot match East Bengal who are vying for the title, perched at the pole position. Rather, they are striving to avoid relegation after the AIFF had docked their points in first 10 rounds. A win against their arch-rivals after the December 9 fiasco would act as a tonic for Mohun Bagan who have 12 matches in the battle for survival. The rhythm that was eluding them for long may just be coming their way after their inspiring 3-1 win over ONGC in the last round that marked the return of ace striker Odafa Okolie. Not just the return of Odafa, but the win had lifted the morale of the club with the way the Nigerian struck a chord with Aussie forward Tolgay Ozbey, something that coach Karim Bencherifa would look up to in their most important match. "They are our key players and the team strategy will obviously centre around them," the coach said today. MORE