With Kolkata powerhouse Mohun Bagan as their first home opponents, DSK Shivajians, will first look to find a goal in Round 4 at the Balewadi Sports Complex Stadium on Saturday. With East Bengal hosting Bengaluru FC, the match promises to be a thriller
Agencies
PUNE/KOLKATA: Hero I-League debutants DSK Shivajians have an arduous task of performing in front of their home fans for the first time after playing three away games this season.
A draw and two losses after their first three matches has placed DSK Shivajians at eighth place with one point and just a place above the bottom scrappers Salgaocar FC, who are yet to open their account.
Nonetheless, it will be a new day and a new start for DSK Shivajians, who will become the third club, after Pune FC and Bharat FC, to represent Pune in the premier league of India.
With Kolkata powerhouse Mohun Bagan as their first home opponents, DSK Shivajians, will first look to find a goal in Round 4 at the Balewadi Sports Complex Stadium on Saturday.
Mohun Bagan, who are fresh from their AFC Champions League qualifier win against Tampines Rovers, will look to continue with their scintillating form, especially their sheer hegemony in the attacking third is getting stronger with every match.
For Mohun Bagan, the game against DSK Shivajians will be like a quick outing before an important AFC away qualifier scheduled against top Chinese club Shandong Luneng FC on February 2 in the second round which will be held in Jinan.
The other match on Saturday will see East Bengal hosting Bengaluru FC, in what promises to be a thriller.
The statistics are skewed against the Steelmen who have only won a solitary encounter in their four matches against the Kolkata side, with East Bengal undefeated at home.
The solitary victory though came the last time they met, when Sean Rooney, Sunil Chhetri and Robin Singh were on the scoresheet as they shut down Kingfisher East Bengal at the Kanteerava Stadium.
With a change in guard, this will be Biswajit Bhattacharya’s first punt at the JSW owned side.
Bengaluru FC will have a point to prove after their three-match winning run came to an unceremonious halt, away to Mumbai FC.
With Robin Singh out injured, the likes of Alwyn George, Udanta Singh and Sunil Chhetri have drawn a blank, something which is giving Westwood a headache.
