Their South Korean star forward Do Dong Hyun still struggled to get back into his elements as they relied heavily on the seasoned Nigerian pro Ranty Martins to put them ahead.
East Bengal will have a chance to climb to the top spot when they face current leaders Bengaluru FC in a round five clash of the I-League football at the Vidyasagar Krirangan at Barasat. With the former champions Bengaluru FC's three-match winning run halted with a 0-2 defeat in Mumbai, East Bengal, who are separated from the leaders by just one point, will have a golden opportunity to go atop the table. East Bengal returned to winning ways against newcomers DSK Shivajians but they were not convincing enough in their 1-0 win in the last round.
Their South Korean star forward Do Dong Hyun still struggled to get back into his elements as they relied heavily on the seasoned Nigerian pro Ranty Martins to put them ahead. Ranty is once again expected to be in the thick of the things along with Sikkim youngster Bikash Jairu who has impressed one and all with his clinical passing skills from the left-flank. There are also a few injury concerns for East Bengal coach Biswajit Bhattacharya with Robert Lalthlamuana, Soumik Dey and Harmanjot Singh Khabra doubtful for the top of the table clash tomorrow.
However, their attacking midfielder Cavin Lobo is fit and will be available for selection while Dempo recruit Narayan Das may come in place of Dey. Oozing confidence ahead of the crucial fixture, Bhattacharya said: "We saw their loss to Mumbai they have exposed the chinks in their defence and we're confident of bagging three points." "I think it's going to be a very crucial match for us as we cannot afford to lose points as it will push us back in the table. A win against Bengaluru FC will give a big boost to our title aspiration."
The Blues will bank on their forward duo of C K Vineeth and Kim Sing Yong and it remains to be seen how Bello Rasaq helm the East Bengal defence together. As for the last season's runners-up Bengaluru, their captain Sunil Chhetri looked tired and had to be substituted after the break against Mumbai FC. Bengaluru's defence in John Johnson and Curtis Osano too earned criticism in their defeat to Mumbai and the Ashley Westwood side will be under pressure to live up to their reputation.
Bengauluru FC head coach Ashley Westwood said that his side were under 'no pressure' against East Bengal tomorrow after they suffered their first defeat in the ongoing I-League football against Mumbai FC.
"If you look at the League as it is, we're through a quarter of it and if you win three out of every four games, you'll win the League. So, there's no real pressure on us," Westwood told reporters on the eve of their fifth round clash.
"Statistically you normally win only 25% of your away games; we've won 66% of them, so hopefully it will pay dividends at the end of the season," added the gaffer.
The Blues, with nine points from four games, lead a table that has East Bengal trailing them by only a point and Westwood stated that the Kolkata club looked a more solid unit than last season.
"They have the new Korean lad (Do Dong) ahead and he is quick, while Ranti Martins is physical. They definitely look more solid this season than last," he said.
The two teams have met four times in the I-League with East Bengal winning three of those games.
However, Bengaluru FC turned the tide the last time with a comprehensive 3-0 result at home.
Tomorrow will be the first time Bengaluru FC play at the Barasat and on being questioned whether his side's choice of not training at the venue on match eve would make things difficult in terms of acclimatising with the conditions, Westwood brushed aside the suggestion.
"We usually never train at the match venue a day before. There's a myth in India that you should go and train at the venue before the game but that doesn't happen in England. I don't see why it must happen here," he said.
BFC right-back Rino Anto believes the new additions to the Blues' squad have only strengthened them since.
"We've always been about churning out a good work rate and with our new signings that has only improved. We may not have had the best of outings against East Bengal in the past but we have the quality to change that."
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