East Bengal to take on Shillong Lajong in crucial I-League encounter

With the I- League season underway in full swing, the top teams are battling it out for gaining the most coveted trophy in Indian  football. Over the years, the entire dynamics of Indian football has changed and the I- League has also been highly commercialized. The red and gold brigade East Bengal club is one of the top teams in the country but their I – league campaign has not got off to a very rollicking start. Although they won their last game against Aizawl FC, still a number of improvements need to be made in the side. 

As the AIFF President Praful Patel has taken a variety of imperative steps for the development of Indian football and the commercialization of the I – League with influx of new teams has been quite a success. The games of the I- league are also broadcast live on television and there is quite a massive interest among the fans. 

The current East Bengal team is relying on their good form from the last game and already has high hopes on some of the important players like Bikash Jairu and Bernard Mendy. Jairu has  been one of the finds of the season for East Bengal and his run down the flanks can create a quite a havoc for the opposition defence. On the other hand, Bernard Mendy  has come off from the Chennaiyin FC squad from the ISL and displayed very good form. 

The red and gold brigade is quite upbeat about the game and coach Biswajit Bhattacharya is quite hopeful about a solid performance from the boys. But one of the kingpins of the East Bengal midfield Mehtab Hossain is unavailable for this game and the side will miss his thwarting runs and ball snatching skills.

On the other hand, the Shillong Lajong team will pose quite a tough challenge for the East Bengal men as the hard working boys from the hills are well known for their passing game and ability to run all through the field.  They are also looking to carry on with their good form in the I- League where they have beat both Salgaokar FC and Sporting Clube De Goa in consecutive games and the striking prowess of Boithang Haokip and Ralte can pose a threat to the East Bengal defence. 

Considering the competitive spirit of the teams in the I – League every round has become important which will certainly have an impact on the overall outcome. Under the Praful Patel constituency, the I – League has become all the more popular among the fans. 

Author Bio: The AIFF President Praful Patel has taken a variety of measures for the rapid progress of Indian football.  Under the Praful Patel constituency, the popularity of the I- League has grown in leaps and bounds.