KOLKATA: Sailing on two successive wins Mohun Bagan will look to consolidate its position when it meets Minerva Punjab FC in a third successive home game of the I-League football, at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium here on Tuesday.
The host is strengthened by the arrival of Haitian striker Sony Norde, who registered for the club for another season on Monday. There are some injury worries in the side but host seems to have a good bench strength that would allow coach Sanjoy Sen a choice in replacements.
Tournament newcomer Minerva Punjab has not been able to impress much so far. It drew its first match against another debutant Chennai City FC before losing 1-0 away to Aizawl FC.
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Unlike Bagan, which possess a rich tradition as one of the oldest clubs of the continent, Minerva has formed its team around a group of youngsters graduating under the former National junior and youth team coach, Colm Toal, who is also the technical director of the Punjab outfit.
With nothing in terms of tradition and expectations of the fans to weigh it down, the Punjab side will be looking to cause an upset and announce its arrival in the tournament. Having Nigerians Loveday Enyinnaya and Joel Sunday as the two foreign recruits, Minerva will lean on the energy of its young players to put a challenge against the might of Bagan, according to its coach Surinder Singh.
Bagan, which beat Churchill Brothers 1-0 and Shillong Lajong FC 2-0 in the previous two outings, is likely to miss defender Kingshuk Debnath and midfielder Sehnaj Singh, who are nursing injuries.
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But Sen will have the option of fielding all four foreigners with Nordy and defender Eduardo Ferreira from Equatorial Guinea available for selection alongside Japanese Katsumi Yusa and Scotsman Darryl Duffy, who played in the previous two matches.