The second Kolkata derby in Indian Football League 2020-21 will take place between Mariners and Bengal on Friday night. Habas’ men have taken the top spot from Mumbai and qualified for the playoffs, while Bengal would look to better its position in the points table.
Match Timings: Feb 19, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Habas’s men clinched the top spot last week, thanks to Bengaluru’s 4-2 victory against Mumbai. Islanders earned just five points from the last five matches, and the Mariners secured four consecutive victories. It helped the Kolkata giants to step closer towards the AFC Champions League qualification. After 17 matches, the Mariners are two-points ahead of Mumbai. Still, it doesn’t matter because both sides will face each other in the final league-stage game, and it will decide the winner of the Shield Trophy and AFC Champions League qualification. In the last outing, Kolkata giants defeated Red Miners 1-0, courtesy of Roy Krishna’s 13th goal of the season.
The Fijian went past Goa’s Igor Angulo to score the most goals in 2020-21. David Williams forced 33-years old forward to run to the box's left side and provide a goal to Mariners. The Fijian even came close to strike in the 68th minute, but TP Rehenesh saved the shot. The target isn’t so easy for Habas as they will play Hyderabad and Mumbai in its final two games, and finding three points against these two sides will be a tough task. Mariners have kept most clean-sheets this season, and Arindam played an important role. Habas’ side is known for its tight defense, and they conceded just 10 goals this season, the fewest by any team. They have the better goal difference among all teams in Indian Football League. Mariners had great numbers in Kolkata Derby, and they have defeated Bengal in its previous meeting this season. They continued the winning streak from I-League to Indian Football League.
Meanwhile, Bengal’s campaign has been a roller coaster ride. The Gold and Reds have improved after Christmas break. They earned their first victory in January, and after new signings, Bengal won three matches. They are out of the playoff race, but they would be happy after the past performances. Since January 2021, Bengal suffered only two defeats and won three out of ten matches. Out of 17 points, 14 points came in 2021, which shows the improvement of Bengal. They will be a better side in the second derby clash of the season. Fowler’s side are coming off a 1-1 draw with Hyderabad, but they should blame themselves as Gold and Reds allowed Hyderabad to equalise. Bright Enobakhare netted the opening goal in the 59th minute, which was canceled by Santana’s injury-time strike. When the last time both sides met, Roy Krishna and Manvir Singh scored to claim a 2-0 victory for Mariners. Bengal have an edge over Habas’ side overall with 18 wins out of 45 matches, and they have scored more goals than Mariners. Bengal’s last victory in derby came in January 2019 with a clean-sheet.
Possible lineups & Current Form
Mohun B.
Arindam Bhattacharya, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Tiri, Subhasish Bose, Lenny Rodrigues, Carl McHugh, Manvir Singh, Marcelinho, David Williams, Roy Krishna
Current Form: W W W W L
Previous Match: 1-0 victory against Jamshedpur
Bengal
Subrata Paul; Raju Gaikwad, Ankit Mukherjee, Daniel Fox, Narayan Das, Sarthak Golui, Anthony Pilkington, Jacques Maghoma, Matti Steinmann, Sourav Das, Bright Enobakhare
Current Form: D W L D L
Previous Match: 1-1 draw with Hyderabad
Key Players
Mohun B.
Roy Krishna
13 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Manvir Singh
4 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Bengal
Jacques Maghoma
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Bright Enobakhare
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
