Mohun Bagan Playing XI: No Anirudh Thapa, Mariners to field strong XI in Kolkata Derby

The stage is set for an entertaining Kolkata Derby. The Mariners are the hosts for the game against their arch-rivals and will be ready to put up a strong fight in Guwahati. The Green and Maroon brigade will be missing Anirudh Thapa and Ashqiue Kuruniyan for the all-important Kolkata derby in the Indian Super League.

Mohun Bagan was dealt with a late injury as ace midfielder Anirudh Thapa had to limp off after injury yesterday. And now the player is unavailable for the big game. The same is the case with winger Ashique Kuruniyan. On the other hand, star midfielder Greg Stewart is absolutely fit and is tipped to start the game.

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No change in Back 5

Mohun Bagan has a very strong defensive unit which has continuously grown stronger with each match. What is even more interesting is the ability of this backline to score goals. Center-back Alberto Rodriguez is the club’s joint second-highest goal scorer with 4 goals to his name. Left-back Subhasish Bose has already scored 3 goals while second center-back Tom Aldred has notched up 2 goals too.

Coming to the defensive unit, the back line with star goalie Vishal Kaith is compact and has kept 7 clean sheets, the highest this season from 14 games. Ashish Rai will also occupy his usual right-back role and he will try to push forward in every game.

Midfield – No Thapa, Chance for Sahal

Mohun Bagan has an abundance of players on their roster. With no Anirudh Thapa in the game, it will be another chance for ace playmaker Sahal Abdul Samad to feature. Apuia will be at the heart of the midfield controlling the entire tempo of the game. If head coach Jose Molina feels the need to tweak anything, he can easily bring on Deepak Tangri or Abhishek Suryavanshi in the midfield in the second half.

StarStudded Attack

One of the things that the Mariners can cherish the best is their star-studded attacking lineup. Both the flanks will be covered by Mancir Singh and Liston Colaco. On the other hand, just behind the striker, Greg Stewart will get his chance. The Scot has been excellent for his side notching up a goal and 5 assists to his name.

Both Manvir and Liston will provide width with their dribbling runs far wide and their tendency to cut inside the box. Up front remains the talismanic striker Jamie MacLaren. The all-time top scorer of the A-League is the current highest scorer with 5 goals and an assist. And with his goal-scoring hunger, the Aussie will be desperate to score against the arch-rivals again like he did in the previous game.

Well, that’s not all. On the bench, Mohun Bagan will have the likes of Dimitri Petratos and Jason Cummings. Petratos is a Derby hero as the Aussie already has 3 assists and 2 goals to his name. On the other hand, Jason Cummings too has been brilliant. The fox-in-the-box striker has 4 goals to his name and will be ready to make an impact whenever he gets his chance.