East Bengal keen on three points vs Mumbai

Image
Press Trust of India Kolkata
Last Updated : Mar 25 2014 | 3:48 PM IST
Having revived their I-League campaign with a win over RUFC in the last round, East Bengal will look to further boost the title hope when they face Mumbai FC in a rescheduled fixture at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here tomorrow.
The red and gold brigade made up significant ground in the title race at the weekend when they defeated Rangdajied 3-1, while none of the top four could muster a win and three suffered losses including leaders Bengaluru.
Seventh placed East Bengal are now ten points behind leaders Bengaluru, but the local heavyweights to their advantage have played three games less.
This is one of their three fixtures in hand and thus East Bengal will press for three points to get closer to the top.
However, East Bengal will have injury worries of James Moga and Seminlen Doungel and it remains to be seen whether either of them are passed fit for the clash, but the whole squad is aware that they cannot afford to drop points.
Mumbai are still threatened by relegation as they are only three points above rock-bottom Churchill Brothers.
Khalid Jamil's side have only suffered one defeat in the last 10 games but they are the draw specialists in the league with six of the last seven ending all square.
They were not in action last weekend and thus have had significant time to prepare for this tie.
Their last match was on March 15 away at Sporting Clube and it finished 1-1.
Jamil would happily settle for another point even if that extends their winless streak to eight.
"Our priority is to save ourselves from relegation. If we keep playing the way we are playing, there is no doubt that we can survive," Jamil said.
Mumbai have the added incentive of doing the double over East Bengal for the second time in I-League history and they also lead the head-to-head record with five wins, four defeats and two draws.
However, East Bengal will be looking to make the most of home advantage and maintain their title challenge with three more points.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 25 2014 | 3:48 PM IST

Next Story