Match against East Bengal will be tough: Sukhwinder

Kolkata: JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh says it will be an altogether different ball game when they will clash

against hosts East Bengal in the round three I-League match here tomorrow. JCT have made a good start to the tournament by winning the first two matches but Singh feels that they are in for some hard work in tomorrow`s match against local giants at Yuba Bharati Krirangan. "We might have won both our matches (against Shillong Lajong and Mohun Bagan) to be on top of the table but there is not much of difference between the two sides. "We both have one foreigner each (in Orji Ikechukwu Penn and Yusif Yakubu for East Bengal)," the coach said about East Bengal, who have one point from two matches. "We have to be watchful against them. We can win, draw or even go down, but we have to accept it. The condition will be tough," added the coach. The young JCT side will again look forward to their hat-trick hero Baljit Singh Sahni to combine well with Nigerian Penn in the forward. The only I-League club from the North, JCT`s weak link would be their defence which is struggling since the exit of Eduardo and Anwar Ali. It will be interesting to see whether East Bengal can script a comeback especially after their abysmal pre-season performances in the IFA Shield and Durand Cup where they had crashed in the first round. Coach Subhas Bhowmick`s trump card would be their Ghanaian striker Yusif Yakubu who joined the side only in their last match against Mahindra United. Yakubu scored in his brief appearance but only to see the team go down 2-3. In their first match, East Bengal managed a goalless draw against a spirited Pune FC who were playing I-League for the first time. But those two were away matches for East Bengal and Bhowmick`s boys would look forward to cash in on the home conditions tomorrow. We have not been scoring, which remains a concern for us and we have to rectify that. JCT have an intelligent coach in Sukhwinder Singh and it will be a good contest," said Bhowmick. In contrast to JCT, the red-and-gold brigade have plenty of quality players. They have national players in Bhaichung Bhutia, Subhas Singh, Syed Rahim Nabi, Govin Singh and Mehrajuddin Wadoo. Inspirational Bhutia was down with a niggle and it remains to be seen whether the iconic player gets fit to pair with Yakubu, a combination that would definitely be a cause of concern for the oppostion camp. Bureau Report