By IANS
Kolkata : Having turned the tables on Dempo Sports Club in their last match, East Bengal will be keen to keep the momentum going against Air India here Wednesday and avoid relegation in the I-League football tournament.
Air India had defeated East Bengal by a solitary goal via captain Paresh Shivalkar in the first leg of the I-League. They would like to keep their stranglehold over the Kolkata side and ensure that they don’t return to the relegation zone.
Coach Bimal Ghosh is a smart strategist and knows how to revolve his limited resources to yield favourable results. And it shows in the fact that Air India are three spots higher than East Bengal, who are second from the bottom.
For three-time champions East Bengal, it is a do-or-die situation with relegation looming large. Never before have they been in such a tight corner.
Air India have 15 points from 13 games, compared to East Bengal’s 11. Both teams have three victories, but East Bengal have only two draws compared to Air India’s six.
East Bengal’s veteran campaigner Alvito D’Cunha said: “We are charged up. We need wins to remain in a respectable position and we are going for it all the way. The time between this match and the Dempo tie is little, but the boys have only victory on their minds.”
For Air India, Paresh Shivalkar and Samson Singh. Vijeth Shetty, Narendra Meetei, Hringsolal Thomte, Binoy Kuruvilla, Santosh Koli and Uttam Singh are expected to play crucial roles at the Salt Lake Stadium.
But for the home team, the main concern would be their strike force — or rather lack of it. Edmilson alone up has cut a sorry figure with no support, with Dippendu Biswas losing his goal scoring form and Ashim Biswas injured.
On the positive side, the mid-field led by Alvito and Dipankar Roy looks agile and Majek Bolaji has led a semblance of sanity to the defence.