East Bengal would look to set their recent derby record straight against arch-rivals ATK Mohun Bagan when the two Kolkata giants face each other at their base, the Salt Lake Stadium, in a Durand Cup 2022 on Sunday. The East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan match will be live from 6 PM IST. (More Football News)
The two bitter foes last clash at the Salt Lake Stadium was in the I-League on January 19, 2020, just before the COVID-19 outbreak. Since then, much water has gone under the Ganges with East Bengal playing under three different investors and both teams are now part of the Indian Super League.
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East Bengal have suffered five back-to-back reversals from as many games in the ISL and I-League as they are yet to win a derby since their 2-0 win in the I-League on January 27, 2019. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last two ISL seasons had to be held in Goa and the much-anticipated Kolkata derby were all closed-door affairs.
Expectedly, passion has reached its zenith for the Kolkata derby and all tickets were sold out ‘within an hour’ for the 67,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium. There has been a mad rush for tickets with many outstation fans from as far as Cooch Behar and Siliguri camping at the Maidan to get hold of a prized gate pass.
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In such a backdrop, both the teams, who are in a rebuilding mode, would strive for their first win of the season. The winning chemistry is missing from the Juan Ferrando-coached ATK Mohun Bagan, who started off with a shocking 2-3 loss to I-League outfit Rajasthan United and then drew 1-1 against Mumbai City.
The new look Mariners, without key players in Roy Krishna and Sandesh Jhingan, have looked rusty so far. They have a promising mid and upfront lineup in Kiyan Nassiri, Liston Colaco and the talented Ashique Kuruniyan but the coordination seems lacking as the team looks short on match practice.
In such a scenario, East Bengal, under shrewd tactician Stephen Constantine, who knows Indian football inside out, will have their best chances to get their records straight and notch up their first win under the Emami group.
East Bengal, who are unbeaten having drawn both their matches in the group B, are ahead of their arch-rivals in the points tally. Onus will be on skipper VP Suhair up front to go ahead and mount some early pressure. The duo of Aniket Jadhav and Tuhin Das would also play a big role in the flanks.
East Bengal Vs ATK Mohun Bagan Head-To-Head
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After the formation of ATK Mohun Bagan, the Mariners have played East Bengal four time winning on all occasions. All the four matches were a part of Indian Super League.
How To Watch East Bengal Vs ATK Mohun Bagan, Durand Cup 2022 Derby?
Viacom18 Sports will broadcast the Durand Cup 2022 live. The East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan, Durand Cup 2022 matches can be seen live on Sports18 1 SD/HD and Sports 18 Khel from 6 PM IST. Live streaming of East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan, Durand Cup 2022 tie will be available on Voot.
