Barasat (West Bengal), May 22 (IANS) Aiming to hold on to their top spot, leaders Mohun Bagan face Sporting Clube de Goa in a crucial I-League encounter at the Barasat District Sports Stadium here on Saturday.
Mohun Bagan now have 35 points from 18 games, having won ten and lost three. Whereas Goa are placed lower in the points table in seventh spot with 20 points from 18 games, with four wins and six losses.
A win against Sporting Clube will help the home side hold on to their top I-League ranking, as the Kolkata team is currently being chased by defending champions Bengaluru FC, who also have 35 points.
Both sides earlier met in the first leg of the tournament on May 16, where Sporting beat visitors Mohun Bagan 2-1. Striker Odafa Onyeka Okolie, a former Mohun Bagan player, scored twice for the home team while midfielder Katsumi Yusa scored the only goal for the Kolkata side.
With four wins from the last five matches, Sporting Clube will be high on confidence to make Saturday’s match count and look to upset a top team.
Whereas, home side Mohun Bagan with just two wins from the last five matches, will go into Saturday’s match aiming to deliver a top performance in order to stay ahead in title contention.
Mohun Bagan come into the game on the back of a 2-0 win over Royal Wahingdoh on Wednesday, whereas Sporting will be coming into the match also with a 2-1 win over Shillong Lajong FC on May 20.
Sporting, having failed to impress this season, are heavily dependent on Odafa. He is supported by strikers Anthony Wolfe and Syrian Mahmoud Al-Amna.
The Kolkata club will hope its attacking trio of Pierre Boya, Katsumi Yusa and Sony Norde fires them to an important win.