I-League: East Bengal desperate for win in last home fixture

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], Apr 22 (ANI): Kingfisher East Bengal are all set to welcome Minerva Punjab in what would be a battle to salvage pride for both sides. East Bengal have not had smooth sailing both on and off the pitch. With head coach Trevor James Morgan having resigned earlier the week and new coach Mridul Banerjee indisposed due to an injury, assistant Ranjan Chaudhari is all set to be on the sidelines. Red & Golds still currently sit in the third place on the table but have Bengaluru and Shillong Lajong close on their heels. Willis Plaza will be out suspended but Wedson Anselme will be back in the reckoning. Chris Payne and Robin Singh would be handed a start in attack while Jackichand Singh and Romeo Fernandes might be given a chance on the wings. Meanwhile Arnab Mondal will look to start with Ivan Bukenya in central defense. Meanwhile, Minerva Punjab will be missing their goalkeeper Arnab Das Sharma who has left the squad. However Arshdeep Singh, who was superb against Mohun Bagan will be the ideal replacement. However the lack of goals upfront is a worry for the side and Kareem Nurain might start upfront. Meanwhile Loveday and Sang Min Kim will look to populate the defense. Surinder Singh will know that this is the right time to play East Bengal as they have lost their last four matches. A win for Kingfisher East Bengal will look at them cementing their third spot while minerva have only pride in store as they are immune from relegation. "I think we did not deserve to lose against Mohun Bagan and a similar performance will surely give us a result against East Bengal," said Singh. (ANI)