Mohun Bagan plays lowly HASC in their first game

Bangalore, Jan 5 (UNI) Thrice Champions Mohun Bagan will look to start their campaign in the eleventh National Football League here tomorrow on a positive note taking on underdogs Hindustan Aeronautics Sports Club (HASC) at the BDFA stadium here.

The Kolkata giants, led by mercurial striker Bhaichung Bhutia, would have a soft start in their quest to regain the crown of the most prestigious football event in the country that they had won last in 2002.

The Xavier Vijay Kumar-led HASC who finished third in the second division league made it to the premier league as Tata Football Academy, which finished ahead of HASC crying off from the promotion since it was not a professional outfit.

Bagan coach Robson De Olivera, who got acolades for helping the team win the Federation Cup last week, said despite absence of four key players due to injury, he had worked out a suitable combination and the main target was to win the league title. Bagan would rely on Bhutia Brazilian Jose Ramirez Baretto and centre stopper Dulal Bishwas tomorrow too see them through without any hicups.

''We have lost four key players in Eduardo Chacon, Mehraj Wadoo, Subash Chakraborthy and Thomba Singh due to injuries but still we have enough fire power. However, in NFL we treat every match as a knockout as NFL this year will be very tough. During Federation Cup we were under tremendous pressure but now we are at peace,'' he said.

Bagan custodian Sangram Mukherjee proved a tough nut to crack in the Fed Cup when he played the pivotal role in team's wins coming out with flying colours in the tie-breaks in quarterfinal, semifinal and the final. It had a rock solid central defender in Dulal while mid fielders like Deepak Kumar Mondal. Dharmjit Singh and Mehtab Hossain will be key players on the halfline while the striker duo of Bhutia and Baretto are considered as the most dangerous combination in this year's edition of the NFL.

For HASC, a blend of youth and experience, Xavier provides the fire power in the attack line while Pavan Kumar and Prasanth Jaggi would hold fort on the back. The team has promising players in their ranks in Under-19 national camper Govind Singh, SAI Chennai bred Mohan Raj and Vhasum Reisangmi. Seasoned custodian Gumpe Rime is one of the most dependablele player while midfielders Rajendra Prasad and Raghuveer Singh were the others the skipper was banking on to offer a keen fight.

Xavier said despite not having much time to prepare after the team was promoted to NFL, the boys were in good spirits. The midfield is solid but we have to improve our strike force and the defence, he added.

UNI