AFC Cup: East Bengal vs Balestier Khalsa - Match Preview

East Bengal vs Balestier Khalsa

East Bengal take on Singapore’s Balestier Khalsa in a crucial Group F clash tomorrow at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. The Indian side is currently struggling at the bottom of the group with just one point from 3 games. They had lost their previous AFC tie last month against the same opponents in Singapore.

After a bad patch of form, Eelco Schattorie’s men have recouped and won their previous two I-League encounters. According to the manager, they might field a second string side tomorrow, as their main focus will be to do well in the domestic league. The away side on the other hand have a good chance to progress to the next round. They will be hoping to gain full points against a relatively weaker opponent tomorrow.

Venue

Yuba Bharati Krirangan or the Salt Lake stadium, as it is commonly called, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of Kolkata. It is the biggest stadium in India and second biggest in the whole of Asia, boasting of a capacity of 1,20,000. The capacity has been reduced to 68,000 after the installation of bucket seats.

Kick-off

April 14, 2015: 6:00 pm – India (IST)

Possible Starting line ups

East Bengal (4-1-3-2): Abhijeet; Deepak Mondal, Milan Susak, Arnab Mondal, Robert Lalthlamuana; Leo Bertos, Mehtab Hossain, Harmanjyot Khabra, Cavin Lobo; Ranti Martins, Dudu Omagbemi

Eelco Schattorie is likely to field an unchanged side from their victory against Pune FC last week. Deepak Mondal may come in replacing young Abhishek Das in the right-back position. Lalrindika Ralte will miss the game owing to an injury. There remains the possibility that Eelco may opt to field a second string side tomorrow.

Balestier Khalsa (4-5-1): Nizam; Yusop, Lotinac, Cerina, Loon; Zulkiffli Hassim, Xu, Ang, Poh Yifeng; Fadhil, Kristic

Likely formations

Key Battles

Miroslav Kristic vs Milan Susak & Arnab Mondal

Balestier Khalsa’s Croatian striker Miroslav Kristic is the target man upfront. He played well in the previous encounter against East Bengal last month and imposed a continuous threat. Kristic will be kept under strict vigilance by Milan Susak and Arnab Mondal.

Ranti Martins vs Emir Lotinac

Ranti Martins is the main artillery in Eelco Schattorie’s arsenal. The Nigerian is scoring in almost every game for the club and the entire team is heavily dependent on Martins. Balestier Khalsa’s Emir Lotinac will be in charge to stop the goal machine.

Prediction – East Bengal 1-1 Balestier Khalsa