Unbeaten in seven matches, East Bengal will be aiming to notch a hattrick of wins to add impetus to their I-League title chase when they face a fatigued Pune FC at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday.
Trailing leaders Bengaluru FC by seven points with two games in hand, East Bengal’s 3-1 win over Mohammedan Sporting last week was their first back-to-back victory this season while a treble would be a first since November 2012.
This is the first of three games in seven days for East Bengal and they have a chance to climb to the top of the chart if they win all three with Bengaluru not playing till April 21. Armando Colaco’s side will be missing former Pune FC striker James Moga due to injury while club captain Mehtab Hossain is not completely match fit.
‘We just want to keep winning and see where it takes us in the table. We have had good performances in the last two games but must be at our best once again,’ Colaco said.
After being in the top three for the majority of the season, the Pune outfit have dropped to sixth after being winless in the last five games as their title challenge is officially over. Pune FC have been a shadow of their last season with just one win in 16 matches in all competitions.
Mike Snoei’s side also had an away AFC Cup fixture midweek and may be fatigued with a lot of travelling.Pune, who have never finished outside the top five in their first four I-League campaigns, could still finish as high as second if they win their remaining three fixtures.