Bengaluru takes on Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their final league game of the season at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday from 7:30 PM IST. It’s a crucial fixture for both sides who still have a lot to fight for in the Indian Super League – the home side for the sixth playoff spot, while the away side is in the middle of the race for the Shield.
The Blues find themselves in the midst of an inexplicable season – one which has seen them not win a single game away from home in the league but they are undefeated at home in their last 7 fixtures.
They are currently ranked 9th in the league standings with 22 points from 21 games and are mathematically still in the race for the final playoff spot if they defeat the Mariners and other results go in their favor.
The Mariners, on the other hand, are hot on the heels of Mumbai City in terms of the title race. They have 42 points from 20 games and anything but a win in this tie will see them surrender the title to the Islanders who are on 47 points from 21 games.
Head coach Antonio Lopez Habas has been a revelation since he joined Mohun Bagan Super Giant, turning their fortunes around in style winning 23 of the 30 points on offer. In fact, their only loss in the league under Habas has been the upset against Chennaiyin, while East Bengal and Odisha are the only other teams who have managed to nick points off the Mariners.
Current Form
Head coach Gerard Zaragoza’s primary challenge has been their leaky defense which has shipped in 30 goals – second highest in the league this season. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu also ranks second in the league in terms of saves made per game (3.1) which is again a testament to how bad they have been in maintaining their defensive shape.
Bengaluru are coming off the back of a chastening 1-2 defeat at the hands of East Bengal in Kolkata which put them in the backfoot in the race for the playoffs. Sunil Chhetri scored off a penalty in the game, but Saul Crespo and Cleiton Silva stole the joy off the faces of the Blues.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant picked up a valuable 1-0 win against Punjab, thanks to Dimitrios Petratos bagging his 10th goal of the season in the league.
The front line has been dangerously effective under Habas, scoring the joint-most goals in the league (41). In fact, they are also ranked number 1 in terms of goals per game but their backline has been slightly less impressive as they have let in 25 goals with 7 of them being penalties, the highest in the league.
Head to Head Record
The two sides have faced each other just 1 time so far, as Mohun Bagan Super Giant emerged with a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture.
The highly controversial fixture was decided by a 67th-minute strike from Hugo Boumous, with Suresh Wangjam and Naorem Roashan both seeing red cards for the Blues.
Team News
It’s been a season of disappointments for Sunil Chhetri
For Bengaluru, Chinglensana Singh will be available for selection after his suspension in the last clash for picking up 4 yellow cards. Shankar Sampiraj, Nikhil Poojary, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Shivaldo Singh, and Javi Hernandez are all on 3 yellow cards and could be suspended if they pick up 1 more booking.
For Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Glan Martins and Liston Colaco are currently on 3 yellow cards and need to watch out lest they miss what could potentially be a season-defining game against Mumbai City.
Predicted Starting XIs
Bengaluru (4-1-3-2): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Nikhil Poojary, Shankar Sampingiraj, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Naorem Roshan Singh; Keziah Veendorp; Lalremtluanga Fanai, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Javi Hernández; Sivasakthi Narayanan, Oliver Drost.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant (3-4-3): Vishal Kaith; Anwar Ali, Héctor Yuste, Subhasish Bose; Asish Rai, Deepak Tangri, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Manvir Singh; Dimitrios Petratos, Joni Kauko, Jason Cummings.
Prediction
It is nigh impossible to see Mohun Bagan Super Giant drop points at the Kanteerava but stranger things have happened in the league this season. If Bengaluru turns up for the occasion, the Fortress is always a terrifying turf for any opposition team.
It will also be interesting to see if Sunil Chhetri can lead his team from the front as well, as he too has a special history of upsetting the odds and getting going when the going gets tough. Having yet to score an outfield goal for club or country in 2024, there is no doubt he will want to end the run against MBSG.
