ISL 2024-25: Struggling East Bengal eyes third league win as it hosts Punjab FC

East Bengal FC will be looking to regain its winning form when it takes on Punjab FC at its home at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata in an Indian Super League match week 13 fixture on Tuesday.

Bruised by the defeat (1-2) against Odisha FC at the same venue, East Bengal will be hoping to regroup and post a strong challenge against Punjab FC, which is undergoing a comparatively positive season. The visitor is currently placed fifth in the league table, accumulating 18 points from 10 matches with six wins to its credit.

The team that made its debut last season could have done better but for the three losses which came in its previous five games.

Punjab FC is coming into this match after losing against Jamshedpur FC (1-2) at the latter’s home and will be eager to turn the tide around.

It will be a difficult task for the host East Bengal, which is reeling under injuries and suspension. East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon will be hard pressed to find the replacements in the midfield which will be without three of its key performers in Madih Talal and Saul Crespo (both nursing injuries), and Jeakson Singh, who is serving a suspension.

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With only seven points from 10 matches, East Bengal is placed a lowly 11th in the table, making the challenge even harder for Bruzon to surmount.

After a dismal start, the Red and Gold brigade found its footing late, securing seven points in its last five matches. After remaining unbeaten for three games, East Bengal lost 2-1 to Odisha FC in its last appearance which has complicated its plans of finishing in the top six in the league table.

Considering its current status, there is a 11-point gap between it and the currently sixth-placed Jamshedpur FC (on 18 points).

Punjab FC has done admirably well so far as it seems to have found a good balance in its attack and defence that has helped it pick up six wins. The top two teams in Mohun Bagan SG and Bengaluru FC have eight and seven wins to their names respectively.

Another win will definitely take Punjab FC to third . This is exactly what head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis would be hoping to achieve against a beleaguered East Bengal on Tuesday.

“The result of our development is very natural because the team is working with a lot of discipline under a certain structure and with a culture that wants the team to become better every year,” Dilmperis said about Punjab FC’s progress so far.