Hindustan Times (Gurugram)

Bagan face tricky Gokulam test

- HT Correspond­ent sportsdesk@hindustant­imes.com

KOZHIKODE: Mohun Bagan will face a tricky test away from home in a humid Kozhikode when they take on Gokulam Kerala in their last game of the I-League season, with the Mariners being one of the four teams in contention for the title.

For Bagan, it has been quite a turn of events since their 2-1 defeat at home to a 10-man Chennai City at the beginning of the year. The loss left Bagan with 10 points from seven games, leading to the resignatio­n of the-then head coach Sanjoy Sen.

With Sankarlal Chakrabort­y taking over as the coach, Bagan’s form remained inconsiste­nt. In the next seven games, the Mariners picked up just 11 points. With 21 points from 14 games, Bagan were seemingly out of the title equation. But with the other title contenders struggling with their consistenc­y, Bagan have propelled themselves back into the race with three wins in their last three games.

The equation for the title is not simple, but Bagan must beat Gokulam to have a shot at the title. Results in the games between Minerva, Churchill Brothers and East Bengal, NEROCA, will be key in deciding where the title heads to this term.

The visitors will bank on league top-scorer Aser Dipanda Dicka and the in-form Akram Moghrabi, both of whom have been instrument­al in Bagan’s resurgence, to deliver the goods on Thursday. On the other hand, debutants Gokulam have little to play for given that they already have immunity from relegation.

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