Kolkata: Kolkata giants McDowell Mohun Bagan who are virtually out of the I-League title-race will face Shillong Lajong FC in a Round 24 clash at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

The Kolkata outfit stay on 40 points from 23 matches while Lajong are on 27 points from 23 matches.
Bagan who stay in danger of finishing another season without a trophy have a full-strength squad at their disposal with the exception of Rakesh Masih who pulled a muscle in training on Monday.

Anwar Ali stay all set to return to the defence-four while Sunil Chettri, Hudson Da Lima, Jewel Raja and Manish Bhargav are likely to start as the four midfielders.

Upfront, Jose Ramirez Barreto will partner the talismanic Jose Ramirez Barreto.

Striker Ashim Biswas hoped the team finished the season on a high. “We intend to win all our remaining matches and finish in the top-half,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shillong Lajong Coach Pradhyum Reddy sounded a cautious note. “On the surface it seems we are safe. But mathematically, we haven’t saved relegation as yet. If we get a result here, it will put an end to all doubts,” he maintained.

“Bagan are a big team. We need to remember they will be playing n Kolkata. But we are banking on our strengths,” he added.

“If you look at Odafa, you’ll find out he has scored more than half of the goals which Bagan has scored this season. Similarly, if you look a Dempo, you’ll see Ranti Martins has scored more than half of their goals. But if you look at your team, you’ll see our top-scorer has scored not more than 20% of our goals. It only means, we play a team game and don’t depend on individuals,” he explained.

The last time the two teams met the match ended goalless.

By Indian Sports News Network