ISL: Confident NorthEast United FC take on Mohun Bagan on Sunday

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: NorthEast United FC will take on Mohun Bagan SG in their final home game of ISL in the calendar year on Sunday. The match will be held at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium from 7-30 PM. NorthEast United FC come into this crunch fixture after a narrow 0-1 away defeat against East Bengal and will be looking to turn things around against another Kolkata side, albeit with home fans cheering them on. 

NorthEast United FC had prevailed 4-3 on penalties in the Durand Cup final, staging a stunning second-half comeback. In the ISL fixture, Mohun Bagan had prevailed 3-2. The reverse fixture is thus being built up as a ‘revenge clash’. However, Juan Pedro Benali played down the revenge talk.

“There’s no revenge in football. Every game is a new game in football with 3 points at stake. Sometimes, when you go for revenge, you go with your heart, but we must think with our brains. We need to be calm and positive,” Benali said.

Asheer Akhtar, who has been rock solid at the back, echoed the coach’s feeling. “It’s not the first time we are playing against them; we’ve already faced them twice. The coaching staff has prepared us very well for this game, we go with our plan and tactics,” he said.

NorthEast United FC are among the highest goal scorers in the league (21 goals) and have often hit the opposition with their fast starts. Forward Alaaeddine Ajaraie is the leading goal scorer with 11 goals in 10 games. The Moroccan has faced Mohun Bagan twice and has found the back of the net on both occasions and would look to add another to his tally.

However Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina said that he doesn’t make plans for individual players of the opposition and is instead focusing on them as a collective.

“We are playing a team against whom we will have to be competitive. Sure, they have some key players who can impact the game more than others, but when we make plans, we make plans for the whole team. We make plans to win the game,” Molina said.

NorthEast United FC are currently sixth in the table. However, a victory against Mohun Bagan will take NorthEast United FC to 18 points and depending on the victory margin, they can climb up to the third in the table. Just the thing NorthEast United FC would look to do in their final home game of 2024.

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