Sunday remains a massive day in the I-League with the title almost but getting decided. Four of the biggest teams of the Indian football competition this season -- Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Aizawl FC, are having their respective matches.
While defending champions BFC welcome Aizawl FC in Bangalore, Siliguri hosts the second Kolkata derby of the calendar year 2017.
At the moment, Aizawl FC lead the I-League standings and the championship battle is confined between East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Aizawl.
BFC are already out of the title contention, thanks to their poor form this season.
| Team | Ranking | Points | Matches left |
| Aizawl FC | 1 | 30 | 4 |
| East Bengal | 2 | 27 | 4 |
| Mohun Bagan | 3 | 26 | 5 |
So, coming to the most important fixture of Sunday -- the Kolkata derby -- now. It remained a goalless stalemate as East Bengal and Mohun Bagan clashed in the I-League earlier this year. The clubs, this time however, are looking for nothing but winning as even a draw can come very costly for them.
"It's a very important derby for Mohun Bagan and the result will be significant in terms of winning the league," said Bagan skipper Katsumi Yusa in the pre-match press conference on Saturday. "We need to work on our attacking skills to net more goals. You know, goals win matches and we can't afford to squander any opportunity tomorrow," he added.
For East Bengal, winning the I-League title is not only important to fulfil the dreams of their fans but also save the career of midfield maestro Mehtab Hossain at East Bengal. Mehtab had said at the beginning of the season that the failure of East Bengal clinching the title could mean him exiting the club.
"Obviously it hurts always finishing empty-handed. I'm a life member of East Bengal club, the relation will last forever but when it comes donning the jersey, this season might be the last one if we fail to live up the expectation of clinching the trophy", Mehtab said again on Saturday.
Kolkata derby: head to head record
East Bengal wins: 127
Mohun Bagan wins: 114
Draws: 118
Kolkata derby: Match schedule
Date: April 9
Time: 7 pm IST
Venue: Kanchenjunga Stadium Siliguri
TV channel: Ten 2
Live stream: Sony Liv
Note: Bengaluru FC vs Aizawl FC is from 4:30 pm IST.
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