Kolkata Derby: Want to win for fans, says East Bengal coach ahead of I-League clash against Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan may have the statistical advantage but East Bengal's Spanish coach Alejandro Menendez said they're all geared up to win Sunday's I-League Kolkata derby for their fans.

Starting on the back-foot, Mohun Bagan now enjoy a statistical edge of being unbeaten from seven matches across all competitions.

East Bengal have returned to winning ways ahead of the derby to occupy sixth place in the table ahead of eighth-placed Mohun Bagan on goal difference.

"The match is very important for everyone, for fans, for us and for the championship. We will try to win for our supporters. We will give our best for the fans," the Spanish told reporters on the eve of the game at the Salt Lake Stadium.

"This type of matches are very important from an emotional perspective. It is difficult for both the teams. The team which shows better spirit will win." Their key Mexican striker Enrique Esqueda has been ruled out of action for eight weeks following a rib injury as they have roped in Spanish winger Jaime Santos Colado.

"Enrique is our main scorer. It is a problem for us if he doesn't play. But we have to think about a solution to that problem," the coach said.

"I am not thinking about someone who is not available, thinking about players who are available tomorrow. Jaime will get some game time tomorrow." Menendez further acknowledged that Mohun Bagan have a strong attacking lineup.

"Their attacking part is the strongest soldiers and we have to take care of that." Mohun Bagan will miss the services of their I-League winning striker Sony Norde, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, but coach Shankarlal Chakraborty said they would bank on their available resources.

"He is out for two weeks. He has a hamstring injury. Sony is an important player but Mohun Bagan has won matches without him. To us, Pintu (Mahato) and Sukhdev Singh's loss is the same as that of Sony," Chakraborty said.

Their defence may have come under a lot of criticism, having leaked seven goals from six matches, but the coach backed their backline.

"There is no problem with my defence. We have discussed everything. Tomorrow we will perform better and try to keep a clean sheet," he said.