Bagan defence worries coach

August 20: Defence blues worry Mohun Bagan as they engage in a keen tussle for supremacy with Muktijoddha Sansad of Bangladesh in an open...

August 20: Defence blues worry Mohun Bagan as they engage in a keen tussle for supremacy with Muktijoddha Sansad of Bangladesh in an opening round exchange of the Asian Club Cup Championship, here, tomorrow.

The match at the Salt Lake Stadium holds much promise as it pits two formidable outfits of the leading soccer powers of South Asia, but the nagging rains and soggy ground condition might stand in the way of a high-quality encounter.

The match is also a trendsetter in the sense that Bagan itself has stepped in to organise the tie following the Indian Football Association’s refusal to bear the expenses of the visiting team.

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The local giants would tend to exploit home advantage with a large number of club fans expected to turn up at the stadium to lend support to the boys in green and maroon.

But Bagan coach Syed Nayeemuddin is worried about the defence which has time and again looked porous and disjointed, despite various permutations and combinations tried out by him.

A good news for Bagan buffsis that Chima Okerie’s compatriot Emeka Achilefu also reported fit, after suffering from freak injuries for some time, and might be fielded as the third forward.

Nayeemuddin, however, said that Muktijoddha would be no pushovers. “They are in form. We cannot take them lightly.”

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The Bangladesh side, comprising seven players of the National squad which finished second best to India in the SAAF Cup in Goa in May, is now placed third in the Dhaka League.