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East Bengal looks to continue good run

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA, MAY 4. The premier national club title already in its grasp, Kingfisher East Bengal has set its sights on the continental supremacy.

East Bengal is on the trail with eight consecutive international wins. And on Wednesday it can extend the record when it faces Geylang United — the Singapore champion — in an AFC Cup tie.

It has been a remarkable season for East Bengal. Beginning with the triumph in the ASEAN club championship — which made it the first Indian club to win an international title — East Bengal sustained the formidable run through a gruelling season before retaining the National Football League title.

The team has made good progress in the continental club meet so far, topping Group E with four wins from four matches. With two more matches remaining, a win against Geylang would catapult East Bengal into the knockout quarterfinals. East Bengal leads the table with 12 points, while Geylang is next with nine points from three wins and a 2-3 loss at home to East Bengal in February.

However, all is not well for the home team on the eve of the match. Injuries to a couple of key players and suspension problems will render East Bengal unable to field the regular XI. The midfield mainstay, Brazilian Douglas da Silva and the multi-role man Devjit Ghosh are out with double bookings and the team is also likely to miss injured stopper-back M. Suresh and medio Alvito D'Cunha.

Though coach Subhas Bhowmick was absent at the press briefing, the team management sounded confident. The onus will now be on the team's frontline — Baichung Bhutia, Brazilian Cristiano Junior and Nigerian Mike Okoro.

Meanwhile, Geylang's representatives spoke of avenging the defeat at home. Its Australian coach, Scott O'Donnel, felt his boys were short of match practice in the first outing. Having won all the three matches since, the coach confidently declared a "different performance'' against the host. The team has no major injury worries either.

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