Kolkata: ATK Mohun Bagan welcome Bengaluru FC to the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata for a blockbuster encounter in the Indian Super League. The mariners come into the game with 27 points in 15 games and are placed fourth in the league. They have picked up eight wins while drawing three games and losing on four other occasions.
While the blues have 22 points from 16 games thanks to their seven wins and the solitary draw. They have slumped to a defeat eight times this season. Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC striker Sivasakthi Narayanan has been awarded as the Emerging Player of the Month for January 2023 for his spectacular performances across his side’s four wins in January.
The youngster was a pivotal figure in each of the Blues’ four wins, registering four goals and one assist in the process. Sivasakthi fought his way into the starting lineup under head coach Simon Grayson and since then, has been reaping rewards with his goal contributions. Currently, on a four-game winning streak, his side has leapfrogged into the sixth position, in contention for the playoffs berth alongside Odisha FC who share the same number of points.
Nine out of 15 experts chose Sivasakthi as the top pick. In second position was Chennaiyin FC’s Vincy Barretto who was picked out by one expert as their first choice. The forward has caused a stir in the Bengaluru FC attack ever since he made it into the starting eleven, becoming the joint-top scorer for the club with four goals, alongside midfielder Javier Hernandez. Rising through the ranks from the B division of Bengaluru FC, the 21-year-old was the top scorer for Bengaluru FC in their Durand Cup title triumph and has become a central asset in the attacking lineup alongside veterans Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna. Narayanan has become the fourth recipient of this award after Mumbai City FC’s Mehtab Singh (October), East Bengal FC’s Naorem Mahesh Singh (November), and Mumbai City FC’s
Apuia.