I-League: We are high on confidence – Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa

Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa has been in charge of many big Kolkata derby matches in the past but there is still no dearth of excitement in him ahead of Sunday’s clash against East Bengal.

“This fixture is definitely the biggest derby in Asia. For the last ten days all the talk in the town has been about Sachin Tendulkar and this match. It’s great that except Zakeer Mundampara (shoulder injury) and Ecehzona Anyichie (suspension) we have a fully fit squad including Odafa (Okolie) so the whole team and I are very excited,” he stated in the joint-press conference at the Mohun Bagan ground on Sunday.

Despite Bencherifa’s experience in this derby, the Mariners are possibly the underdogs going into this match largely due to the inexperience in their squad. But reminding about their recent good form, which includes a four-match unbeaten run, Bencherifa talked about the optimism in his camp.

“If this match would have taken place a couple of months ago, no one would have given us a chance because East Bengal were doing so well in the AFC Cup. But ever since the defeat to Sporting Clube we have come back strongly and shown great character. Our big strength has been our defending with the youngsters doing well and I am grateful to the seniors for allowing me to groom the youngsters.

“It’s true that we lack a bit of experience but football matches are not always decided by quality and experience. There are other factors like preparation and planning and I am very happy with the way we have been playing. We are high on confidence and everybody is looking forward to get involved in this match,” the 45-year-old opined.

The general theme in Friday’s media interaction was the plea to both sets of fans of avoiding any violence before, during or after the game and Bencherifa too spoke about it.

“I request our fans to be patient during the 90 minutes because mistakes happen in this match. It is a special fixture so you will see misplaced passes early on so I hope we will get your support throughout the game,” he said.