Mohun Bagan aim for top spot against Jamshedpur FC

Kolkata, Nov 22 (PTI) Mohun Bagan will look to continue their winning run and climb to the top of the table when they face Jamshedpur FC in an Indian Super League clash here on Saturday.
     The Mariners have embarked on their title defence in style and are placed behind only Bengaluru FC in the points table currently with a match in hand.
     Mohun Bagan have notched four wins, including three in a row, and two draws to accumulate 14 points in seven games, while Bengaluru have 17 points from eight matches.
     Recent setbacks and some heavy defeats have restricted Jamshedpur FC to 12 points in seven matches, and they are placed at the seventh spot in the standings.
     Mohun Bagan Super Giant have made 35.9 entries inside the penalty box per game in ISL 2024-25, which is the second-highest average behind Chennaiyin FC who have done so 37.5 times every 90 minutes.
     Their dynamic frontline has consistently searched for breakthroughs inside the opposition's defence, with the team scoring 13 goals thus far in the competition.
     Jamshedpur FC on the other hand have conceded 16 goals in 11 games and hence they will have to be cautious.
     Furthermore, the Mariners are unbeaten in their previous four games on the bounce in front of the Red Miners -- winning thrice and drawing once.
     Jamshedpur FC have won once in their last five away matches, highlighting their concerns on the road.
     They have now lost two straight fixtures at the home of the opposition, and the last time the Red Miners went on a longer such losing streak was a stretch of four games between October and December 2023.
     They will want to snap this run and hope to regain their rhythm that they displayed ever so brilliantly in the initial matches of the season.
     Mohun Bagan head coach Jose Molina said that his team is well aware of the demands from them two months into the season and he expects them to get straight into the groove from the first game after the international break.
     "At this moment, the team is ready. We have nothing special to work on. The players know what we need to know – how we need to defend, attack, of course we can have some changes in the lineup, but I am confident in the players who can come in and play, and they know what they have to do," Molina said.
     Jamshedpur FC assistant coach Steven Dias acknowledged that ups and downs are part of any team's run, but he backed his players to recover from their recent losses.
     "Last two matches weren't as good for us. I think as a coach, every team goes through this phase, so it's important that we bounce back fast, so we got a break before this match – everyone's in a good mood, we are working hard, and hopefully can get a positive result in tomorrow’s game," Dias said.
     Mohun Bagan's Lalengmawia Ralte has won 37 out of his 53 contested duels -- the highest in the league among all players with more than 50 duels.
     The ex-Mumbai City FC star will be crucial in helping the home team break attacks and initiate offensive endeavours for his side.
     Jamshedpur FC's Rei Tachikawa has been a livewire for them providing the crucial assists as he will be hoping that his efforts begin bearing fruits in terms of constructive goal contributions moving forward.
     Kick-off: 7.30pm.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)