Mohun Bagan look for AFC glory; East Bengal fights for survival in Durand Cup on Wednesday

Tomorrow will be one of the busiest days for Kolkata Football Fans as both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will play two important matches. Mohun Bagan Super Giant will look to beat Nepalese side Machhindra FC in the AFC Cup preliminary stage while Emami East Bengal will face Punjab FC in a do-or-die match in Durand Cup 2023.

Mohun Bagan will look to forget the derby and move on quickly | AFC Cup

Both teams will be different mood after the first Kolkata derby of the season where Emami East Bengal defeated Mohun Bagan Super Giant after a gap of eight games. Nandha Kumar's stunning goal is still the talk of the town after the derby on Saturday. However, Mohun Bagan Super Giant coach Juan Fernando wants to forget the derby as a past and focus on the game that is huge in Sanjib Goyenka'a roadmap to AFC success.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant secured their place in the AFC Cup Premilinary round by winning the Indian Super League and the following Club Playoff against Hyderabad FC last season.

"We try to learn and improve every game, especially from our losses. But I believe that the past is not as important if you do not repeat your mistakes. Personally, I think we made more mistakes against Punjab FC than we did against East Bengal. But we have been working on those mistakes, and we're looking forward to putting in a good performance against Machhindra FC," Juan Fernando said in the pre-game press conference at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan.

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Machhindra FC, who defeated Paro FC to book their clash against Mohun Bagan Super Giant, will look to take advantage of a wounded opponent. Head Coach Kishor Kumar said, "Mohun Bagan lost their last match against East Bengal, and we will try to use that to our advantage. They have a good attack, and we must make sure that we keep a tight defensive shape and build our attacks from there.

A must-win match for East Bengal in Durand Cup 2023

On the other hand, Emami East Bengal will be very confident after the derby win and will surely want to qualify for the next round in Durand Cup 2023. In their third and final game of the group stage, the red and yellow brigade will face Punjab FC at Kishore Bharati Krirangan. East Bengal will have to take full points from this final game to book their spot in the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup 2023.

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"It felt surreal to win the derby in front of our fans on Saturday. The kind of support we got that day was spectacular and it was one of the prime reasons why the boys felt more motivated to give their best on the pitch," Emami East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat said before their final game in Durand Cup.

"However, the derby win is past now and our focus has shifted to our next match against Punjab FC, which is going to be a virtual knockout for us. We have been trying to analyse our mistakes and see where we can improve. Having both Cleiton Silva and Jose Pardo join our training ahead of the crucial match is also a big plus," Carles added.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Machhindra FC match will take place at the VYBK in Kolkata. The game will start at 7 pm IST. The match will be LIVE streamed on Insports TV.

The Emami East Bengal vs Punjab FC match will start at 6.00 pm IST at Kishore Bharati Krirangan. The match will be LIVE streamed on SonyLIV.