Mohun Bagan face uphill task
against Taejon Citizen

India's champion club Mohun Bagan, yet to recover from the 0-6 defeat against South Korean club Taejon Citizen in the 'away' match, face an uphill task as they look to salvage some pride in the 'home' tie of the Asian Football Confederation Champions league in Kolkata on Tuesday.

With virtually no chance of qualifying for the quarter-final stage, for which they need a 7-0 victory, the green and maroon brigade are hoping, at best, for a draw before their home crowd at the Salt Lake stadium.

Admitting that the Koreans will be hard to beat even on the home ground, Bagan coach Subrata Bhattacharjee said his side will strive "to offer good soccer" and fight it out in the middle for a draw.

Taejon coach Lee Tae Ho, who arrived with his team on Sunday, was relaxed but sounded willing to "notch up a bigger win".

With World Cup goalkeeper Choi Eun Sung and Busan squad member and in-form striker Kim Eun Jung in their ranks, Taejon promised to "play our best game".

While this might sound ominous for Bagan, both the coaches agreed that the NFL champions have scope to improve their game in view of the pleasant weather conditions in Kolkata.

"They were playing well (at Taejon) but the extreme cold affected them badly. The weather here is just perfect for football," Ho said, adding the Koreans would not face much problems to adjust to the weather conditions.

Besides the favourable weather, Bagan are banking on the inclusion of star striker Baichung Bhutia to bolster their game.