KOLKATA: The Black Panthers stack themselves with enough reasons to put on a spirited show when they face Tollygunge Agragami in their second 2017/18 Calcutta Premier Division – A fixture on Thursday at Barasat Stadium.

The pressure is on both sides despite recording contrasting results in their opening games. Mohammedan SC dominated possession in their opening encounter against Pathachakra Club on Sunday but still suffered a 4-2 loss.

For Tollygunge they celebrated their first match with 1-0 victory a day later, but were made to work hard for the win against a weaker Railway FC side.

Mohammedan SC looked good in patches against Pathachakra, but the Biswajit Bhattacharya-coached side will need to bring in massive improvements to beat Tollygunge, who put together one of the strongest squads in the Calcutta Premier Division – A this season.

During the first match, Aser Pierrick Dipanda Dicka and company struggled to produce a cohesive game. Though the Cameroonian striker was perhaps the most impressive performer in Kalyani scoring a brace, which was the only silver lining for the Black Panthers.

“The first game was an eye opener for the team. We had our chances but at the end it was our mistakes that proved costly. Now we have Tollygunge next and our target is to get the maximum points,” said coach Bhattacharya.

“Players knows the significance of the game and how important it is to win. We have analysed our performance in the the previous game and now want to do better against Tollygunge,” he added.

Speaking about the opponents coach Bhattacharya said: “Tollygunge is a very good team and you have to be in your best form when you play against them. We have to be mentally and physically strong.”

Going into game, Mohammedan SC handed a boost over availability of Nigerian play-maker Kalu Ogba, who missed the last game because of registration issues.

For the record, Tollygunge had defeated Mohammedan SC 2-1 when the sides meet in the last edition of the competition. Therefor, the Black Panthers will look to set the record straight and get their campaign back on track.

The match at Barasat Stadium kicks off at 5:00 pm tomorrow and it will be televised live on Kolkata TV.