Leaders Mohun Bagan face formidable Salgaocar FC in I-League

An in-form Mohun Bagan side, presently sitting prettily atop the leader board of the I-League football tournament, faces the challenge of continuing its good run against a formidable Salgaocar SC at the Barasat stadium here on Friday.

Mohun Bagan have had a change of fortunes ever since coach Sanjoy Sen took over the reins of the side after their Federation Cup debacle, staying unbeaten in the league and amassing 21 points from nine games.

The Green and Maroons head into the encounter on the back of a confidence-boosting derby win against arch-rivals East Bengal.

Salgaocar too come into the contest with a 3-1 win under their belt against Mumbai FC at home and are fifth on the table with 14 points from 10 games.

Coach Derrick Pereira will trust his Ivorian midfielder Douhou Pierre to play a pivotal role for his side along with the talented Bikash Jairu who scored for the Goan side in their last outing.

The defensive duties for Salgaocar will rest on Zambian Francis Kasonde and the young Augustin Fernandes. They have a tough task of keeping the formidable Mohun Bagan forwards at bay.

Salgaocar goalkeeper Subrata Paul will have to be on his toes and co-ordinate with his defenders to keep a clean sheet during the match.

Mohun Bagan will again rely on the services of Japanese medio Katsumi Yusa along with striker Balwant Singh, undoubtedly India's best striker this season in the competition. Haitian midfielder Sony Norde will also be a constant threat.

It will be interesting to see who Sen fields among defenders Shouvik Ghosh or Anwar Ali, as the latter played impressively against East Bengal. Dhanachandra Singh who was been nursing a hamstring injury may also come into the first eleven.

Guarding the Mohun Bagan goal will be Debjit Majumder, whose stupendous performance earned him the Man-of-the-Match award against East Bengal in the Kolkata derby. He will be keen to continue his brilliant form.

A win for the home side will ensure their dominance at the top of the league, but in case of a reverse result Salgaocar will go fourth on the table.