Played
December 16, 2012 2:00 PM IST
Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) — Kalkātā (Kolkata), West Bengal
Referee:‬ M. Santosh Kumar‎
 
 
Ranti Martins 75′

East Bengal - Prayag United SC Preview: Can Schattorie's side upset Trevor Morgan's men?

It's a clash between the Red and Gold who have conceded a bare minimum against the highest scoring team in the I-League so far...

By Atanu Mitra

More On :  East Bengal F.C., Prayag United S.C., East Bengal F.C. vs Prayag United S.C.
I-League:Pailan Arrows vs Prayag United
i-league.org
  PROBABLE LINEUPS
EAST BENGAL

Gurpreet;
Okpara, Arnab, Naoba, Soumik;
Khabra, Mehtab,Ishfaq;
Penn;
Chiddi, Manandeep
PRAYAG UNITED

Subrata;
Dhanachandra, Gouramangi, Rasaq, Chinta;
Asif, Biswas, Lalkamal;
Hernandez;
Martins, Vineeth
  PREVIEW

East Bengal has been one of the most consistent sides of the league this season. The unfinished derby may have shaken the team’s focus a little. Their 33-match unbeaten streak in the domestic matches came to an abrupt end when they lost to Aryan 1-2 in their Calcutta league match on Thursday.

The responsibility of scoring will largely be on the shoulders of Chidi Edeh and Manandeep Singh. The East Bengal defence is high on confidence after managing nine clean sheets in their 10 outings in the I-League this season.

Mehtab and Penn have been as extraordinary as ever, snatching and passing the ball with elegance in the midfield. Mehtab will try to get hold of Hernandez, to cut the supply line to Ranti. Ishfaq will swap between the wing and the central midfield to work as a defensive screen when the opponent is attacking.

On the other hand, pressure is mounting on Prayag United’s new coach Eelco Schattorie as his team has not won any of its last four I-League matches. They had started the season on a high note, beating Air India and Mohun Bagan in the opening two fixtures. But as they could bag only 1 point from the next two matches, coach Sanjoy Sen was handed the pink slip.

Schattorie started his reign with thrashing United Sikkim 10-1 in a match that saw Ranti scoring five and assisting three. Ranti, with 13 goals already to his name, is the only player performing regularly for the team. The young Indian players have not been that successful to match the performances of the big-signings of the team.

The unexpected steep decline in the form of Subrata Paul has made the situation worse. The defending has become poor, with Rasaq losing form with time. The team is basically struggling to settle down under their newly-appointed Dutch coach. It will take experienced campaigners like Lalkamal Bhowmick to take the team out of this trouble. In the defence, Gouramangi Moirangthem should take more responsibility to stop the prolific attacking line of East Bengal.

  TEAM NEWS

East Bengal: Since, most of the first-team players were rested in the mid-week fixture, it is expected that Morgan will field the set first XI in the Prayag match. With Sanju Pradhan doing good with his rehabilitation process, there is a possibility that he might make it to the bench on Sunday. Lalrindika Ralte and Robin Singh will be injected into the action once the opponent starts getting tired.

Prayag United SC: Carlos Hernandez has again become regular in the side after sorting out the disciplinary issues. The former Costa Rican midfielder will play just behind the strikers to help their talisman Ranti score.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Per Henrikson, the goalkeeper coach of Prayag United will part ways with the team after this match.
  • Prayag had won the last encounter of these teams by a lone Kayne Vincent goal on 31st January, 2012.
  • Prayag United has scored 27 goals in this edition of the I-League, which is the highest among all teams. East Bengal has conceded only one goal in their 10 matches this season, the lowest in the league.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • East Bengal F.C. 2-0 Prayag United S.C.
    21.31 %
  • East Bengal F.C. 2-1 Prayag United S.C.
    18.03 %
  • East Bengal F.C. 3-0 Prayag United S.C.
    11.48 %
Head to Head
I-League ‎(IND1)‎ 29-Mar-2013 Prayag United S.C. 2 - East Bengal F.C. 2
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I-League ‎(IND1)‎ 16-Dec-2012 East Bengal F.C. 0 - Prayag United S.C. 1
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I-League ‎(IND1)‎ 31-Jan-2012 East Bengal F.C. 0 - Prayag United S.C. 1
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I-League ‎(IND1)‎ 29-Oct-2011 Prayag United S.C. 1 - East Bengal F.C. 1
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Federation Cup ‎(INDF)‎ 26-Sep-2011 East Bengal F.C. 2 - Prayag United S.C. 1
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Last Five Matches
East Bengal F.C.
15-May-2013East Bengal F.C. 5 - Yangon United 1AC
12-May-2013East Bengal F.C. 0 - Shillong Lajong FC 1IND1
08-May-2013East Bengal F.C. 6 - United Sikkim F.C. 0IND1
04-May-2013Dempo SC 2 - East Bengal F.C. 2IND1
30-Apr-2013East Bengal F.C. 4 - Sai Gon Xuan Thanh FC 1AC
Prayag United S.C.
11-May-2013Prayag United S.C. 3 - ONGC F.C. 1IND1
19-Apr-2013Prayag United S.C. 2 - Shillong Lajong FC 0IND1
12-Apr-2013Prayag United S.C. 4 - Pailan Arrows F.C. 1IND1
04-Apr-2013Salgaocar F.C. 1 - Prayag United S.C. 0IND1
29-Mar-2013Prayag United S.C. 2 - East Bengal F.C. 2IND1
Odds
Team News
Available Squads
30Gurpreet Singh SandhuGoalkeeper
3Arnab MondalDefender
4Uga OkparaDefender
8Thokchom Naoba SinghDefender
29Saumik DeyDefender
7Harmanjot KhabraDefender
14Mehtab HussainMidfielder
18Penn Ikechukwu OrjiMidfielder
10Edeh ChidiStriker
26Manandeep SinghStriker
35Ishfaq AhmedStriker
1Abhijit MondalGoalkeeper
2Raju GaikwadDefender
19Robert LalthlamuanaDefender
9Alvito D'CunhaMidfielder
21Lalrindika RalteMidfielder
34Subodh Kumar Defender
23Robin SinghStriker
1Subrata PaulGoalkeeper
5Dhanachandra SinghDefender
17Deepak Mandal Defender
6Bello RasaqDefender
8Lalkamal BhowmickMidfielder
16C. HernándezMidfielder
19Gouramangi MoirangthemDefender
20Kottayil AsifMidfielder
9Ranti MartinsStriker
25Shankar OraonStriker
30C.K. VineethMidfielder
21Sangram MukherjeeGoalkeeper
18Sukhen DeyDefender
29Anupam SarkarDefender
3Ravinder SinghDefender
13Lukram James SinghMidfielder
14Mohammed RafiqueStriker
32Tapan MaityMidfielder
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Ranti Martins Ranti Martins
Striker
Prayag United 		27 3
Odafa Onyeka Okolie Odafa Onyeka Okolie
Striker
Mohun Bagan 		20 3
Edeh Chidi Edeh Chidi
Striker
East Bengal 		18 3
James Moga James Moga
Striker
Pune 		16 0
H. Antchouet H. Antchouet
Striker
Churchill 		14 1