Bagan to lock horns with Viva Kerala

Kolkata: Hit by injury woes and key players rendered unavailable due to double bookings, Mohun Bagan take on a spirited Viva Kerala in a Round 17 return-leg match of

the I-League at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Saturday. Yet to register a win in their last five outings, Mohun Bagan will miss Nigerian forward Edeh Chidi and central midfielder Jayanta Sen because of double bookings. The trio of Souvik Chakraborty, N Mohanraj and Manish Maithani are indisposed while star Brazilian striker Jose Ramirez Barreto and India international stopper Anwar Ali are not fully fit to figure in the Mohun Bagan starting line-up, having just recovered from injuries. It will be interesting to see how technical director Subhas Bhowmick uses his limited resources against the Kerala outfit who are high on confidence after a valiant draw against Pune FC. Down 0-4 after 41 minutes, Viva Kerala bounced back to hold Pune FC. All eyes would again be on last match`s hero Anil Kumar and Nigerian striker Felix who had scored a brace each in their superb draw, while the experienced N P Pradeep and Nigerian defender Bello Razaq will be the other vital cogs for the Kerala side. That the draw came after their 7-1 thumping win over Air India at home will again boost the morale of the visiting side as they take on a struggling Mohun Bagan, who last won against debutants Indian Arrows in a Round 11 fixture more than a month ago. Viva Kerala will also have another edge in their 2-0 win over Mohun Bagan in the first-leg. In absence of Chidi, Mohun Bagan will largely depend on another Nigerian in Subair Muritala Ali who in all likelihood will steer the forward alongwith captain Ishfaq Ahmed. On paper, Mohun Bagan (22 points) at sixth place are way ahead of Viva Kerala (12) who occupy the 12th slot in the 14-team I-League table. PTI