Mohammedan SC head coach Andrey Chernyshov has issued a warning to other teams, stating they are not in the Indian Super League just to participate.

Mohammedan SC have been promoted to the ISL after winning the I-league in the previous season and they will look to give a stern challenge to the other 12 teams in the league. The Kolkata-based club will look to hit the ground running in India’s top-tier football competition.

There is no doubt that Mohammedan SC will have their work cut out in the ISL however the gaffer is optimistic of a good show from his players. Mohammedan SC will also take on derby rivals – ISL League Shield champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC.

“These are big matches, derbies. As a player, I played in major derbies in Russia, so I understand this feeling. These are not just normal matches; they are special. We have many supporters, just like them. After these matches, all the fans want to be able to say that we are the best team in Kolkata. They want to say, ‘Kolkata is Black and White’, Chernyshov mentioned in an exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com during Media Day in Kolkata.

“These derbies are great for Kolkata football and Indian football. However, we also need to be prepared for the other matches because we aren’t playing just derbies,” he added.

Mohammedan SC has a good mixture of young and experienced players and the Russian is happy with the players in his squad.

“I’m very happy with my players, not just the new foreign signings but also the young Indian footballers. However, at this moment, we don’t yet know where we stand. We need to play a few ISL matches before truly understanding how strong our team is. In practice, you can see that we’re good and capable of competing for the top spot. But we will only see whether we’re truly strong in actual competitive matches,” he said.

Mohammedan SC will play their maiden Indian Super League match against Durand Cup champions NorthEast United at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on 16th September.