Mohun Bagan will look to return to winning ways and climb the table when they face United SC in their I-League fixture at the Kalyani Stadium here tomorrow.
With the match scheduled in the afternoon, heat will certainly play a major role as both the teams look to avoid relegation.
United SC, who are winless in 12 matches, are only four points above laggards Mohammedan Sporting and they trail Mohun Bagan by two points with the Mariners having played an extra game.
Mohun Bagan have been in poor form with just one win in seven I-League matches as they are enduring a fourth successive trophyless season.
They suffered a disappointing 0-2 home defeat against league leaders Bengaluru FC last week as they are also involved in the battle for survival.
Their fate has not been any different as they have been in bottom half of the table for the major part of this season so far.
Coach Karim Bencherifa will hope that the team gets to winning ways in their penultimate match and ensure their survival before that final fixture of the season.
"It's all about survival now so we need to get the three points. I would try to make sure that all the players fight till the last whistle of the season. We can still do better and if we win this game we wouldn't have to worry about too many calculations," Bencherifa said.
United SC, on the other hand, are yet to register a victory under technical director Subrata Bhattacharya as their last win came way back in November but they did earn a crucial point against fellow relegation contenders Mohammedan Sporting two weeks ago.
They have faced Mohun Bagan twice this season with the local league encounter ending goalless while they lost 0-4 in the first leg of I-League.
That was one of United SC's worst performances of the season so they must perform much better or risk losing their I-League status.
United SC lead the overall I-League head-to-head record with five wins, four draws and two defeats.
