PTI
SHILLONG
Mohun Bagan will start as clear favourites when they take on Shillong Lajong FC in the second leg semifinal of the Federation Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
The Mariners had trounced the Reds 5-0 in the first leg and the hosts will have to pull off a miracle to make the final of the tournament. However, the elevated position does not make the experienced Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen one bit complacent.
"This is a new game. We are starting 0-0 and need to win this game and qualify for the final," Sen said during the official pre-match press conference. Sen said the Federation Cup means a lot to the Mariners who "missed the I-League title by a whisker". "We need to win the Federation Cup for our supporters," Sen informed.
The Bagan coach was also all praise for rivals Shillong Lajong. "It's not going to be easy by any means. We have to be at our best," he added.
Meanwhile, Shillong Lajong's head coach Thangboi Singto has no choice but to forget the miserable performance in Kolkata and marshal his troops for an eventful outing at home.
"For us it (Saturday's game) is one more chance for redemption. The players should take this game as a big challenge and aim to end the season on a high," Singto opined. "We were doing well till they scored the first goal. We always knew it was going to be a tough game but did not expect this kind of result. We should have done better as a team," he said.
Singto agreed that motivating the playing under such circumstances is never easy but backed his boys to give their 100 per cent on Saturday. One person who seemed all charged up ahead of the encounter tomorrow was Lajong's midfield mainstay Penn Orji. "Bagan grabbed their advantage in Kolkata, now it's our turn. Football is unpredictable, anything is possible," said Orji adding that the team was composed and ready for the do or die encounter.
The match will kick off at 5 pm IST.
