Having split points in their tournament, East Bengal will aim for an outright win when they take on hosts DSK Shivajians the in the second round of Hero I-League football tournament at the Balewadi Stadium on Saturday.
East Bengal drew 1-1 with Aizawl FC in their opening match of the season, while Shivajians lost 0-1 to Mumbai FC.
But the inclusion of India striker Robin Singh will defintely give East Bengal a huge ahead of their second I-League game this year.
“We have good players who can win games for us. The first thing is you need to work hard on your positions, and that is something we have worked on in training this week,” said East Bengal coach Trevor Morgan.
The Kolkata outfit have travelled with a 22-man squad.
“It is an important game for us. Last week we did not play to our full potential,” Morgan said.
“Last time we trained with just one forward. This time in the training I had four strikers available,” he added.
Asked who will fill the role of an under-22 in the playing eleven against DSK Shivajians, Morgan said there are two under-22 players in the team and it is to be seen who starts on Saturday.
On the other hand, DSK Shivajians manager Dave Rogers said he expects a tough encounter against the Bengal giants on Saturday.
“It is exciting (first home game). There are no easy games in this league and we will play against one of the most recognised and successful teams in India, which is great,” said Rogers.
“We don’t set targets. We look at progress. At the end of the season, we will look back and assess everything and see where we are.”
Rogers also hinted that experienced goalkeeper Subrata Pal might get a start on Saturday.
