CALCUTTA, JAN 20: Two of the better placed teams in the second Philips National Football League will meet in a crucial match here tomorrow. FC Kochin with 13 points so far and Mohun Bagan currently the leaders with 14 points, are not new to each other, yet both will find it difficult to form a strategy.T K Chathunni's Bagan will surely target I M Vijayan as the main man in the Kochin side to mark while the southern team is likely to keep the dangerous Chima Okerie under a constant watch. That apart, both will be keeping their fingers crossed.
Particularly with the suspension problems that both teams are facing. Kochin will miss two of their Ghanians, goalie Ali Abubakar and mid-fielder Mohammed Salesu while Bagan will be without winger Abdul Khalique and defender Ranjan Dey. The Ghanians saw red cards in their last match against Dempo. Khalique and Dey have been booked twice. Kochin have a real problem at the goal as they don't have a reserve for the time being.
Kochin should be quite satisfied with a
draw in this away match although they would definitely go for a win. However, the plan in the league has been to at least draw the away match and go all out at home. Bagan on the other hand, should go for a win although Chathunni is known to preach the defence-before-offence theory. The Bagan defence is not up to the desired standard, a fact that is surely worrying the coach. Debjit Ghosh has been doing well in patches, others appear to be lacking in the basics. The Bagan mid-field is one of the strongest with the likes Amit Das and Basudev Mondal, in spite of a nagging injury, doing services in that region. And up front, it should be Okerie and Dipendu Biswas once again.
Bagan have recruited a couple of Liberians to boost their strength. They are as yet untested and tomorrow might be too early for them, but Chathunni would want to use them in the later part of the league.
The Ghanians in the Kochin line-up are unknown quantities for Bagan and the Kochi-based team has a lot of faith in them. With two of
them out of the way, Bagan can rest a bit easy. Or can they? With the presence of Raman Vijayan, Carlton Chapman and Jo Paul Ancheri giving Kochin a formidable look. However, Bagan are unlikely to be overawed, particularly at home.
Two days of rain has left the ground soft and with overcast conditions prevailing, the drying process will take longer than usual. Although the quality of football will suffer, Bagan should be the gainer as they are more used to such conditions than their southern opponents.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
