CALCUTTA (India): East Bengal will hope to maintain their new-found form when they host bottom-placed Tiddim Road Athletic Union (TRAU) at the Kalyani Stadium on Saturday.
The Red and Golds had won against NEROCA FC 4-1 in the previous game.
The victory took East Bengal to third place on the table with five points.
Despite finding their scoring touch, East Bengal have failed to keep a clean-sheet in any of their three matches so far. They need to address this issue in this penultimate fixture before the Calcutta derby on December 22.
Speaking ahead of the match, Alejandro Menendez, East Bengal coach said, “I think the win versus Neroca was really important. We deserved to win the other games too but to win away is a job well done. It gives a lot of confidence to the team, it helps us grow and not just in terms of results. We are building our team and we are trying to be better every day.”
On the lack of clean-sheets, he commented, “I think it’s anecdotal because the number of chances we have conceded has been low during the three games. I think our defence is doing a good job and I am satisfied.”
On the context of the Calcutta derby, the Spaniard added, “Everybody is thinking about the derby but I am focused on the game against TRAU. We are very close and for me, there is no derby until we are finished against TRAU.”
East Bengal’s Spanish triumvirate
East Bengal have been heavily reliant on the Spanish triumvirate of Juan Mera, Marcos De La Espada and Jaime Santos. They will, however, be without the services of Jaime, who’s facing a suspension.
TRAU FC had a tough start in ther campaign after having remained winless in their first two games.
They lost to defending champions Chennai City FC in Coimbatore followed by 4-0 defeat by Mohun Bagan.
The visitors await their second fixture in a space of three days at Kalyani Stadium, and will be hoping to put on a better show this time around.
TRAU’s Douglas da Silva said, “We have to play in the same way, but we have to discuss and practice according to the mistakes. We need to train hard and focus on the match.”
Speaking on the morale of his dressing room, he added, “It’s tough for everyone after two losses, but my players know that they played well but made little mistakes. Football is a sport where you cannot afford to make mistakes, even when you play better than your opponent.”
