Mohun Bagan SG will lock horns against Bangladesh Championship League side Bashundhara Kings on Saturday at Kalinga Stadium which is located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Initially, the match was going to take place at the Mariners’ home ground, the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Kirirangan but the game was shifted to Odisha‘s Kalinga Stadium earlier this month due to the ongoing Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata.
Current Form
Juan Ferrando’s Mohun Bagan SG has been in brilliant form in the AFC Cup. In the preliminary rounds, the Mariners recorded comfortable wins over Machhindra and Abahani Dhaka. They commenced their AFC Cup campaign against their Indian Super League rivals Odisha.
Mohun Bagan SG comfortably sank the Juggernauts’ ship with the scoreline reading 4-0. Sahal Abdul Samad broke the deadlock in the 46th minute and the victory was cemented by a brace from Dimitri Petratos sandwiching a strike from Liston Colaco.
In the next match, they faced Maldivian professional football club, Maziya Sports and Recreation Club. Jason Cummings was quick to break the deadlock in the first half and his second goal in added time of the second half cemented the victory for the Mariners.
On the other side, Bashundhara Kings suffered a throbbing 2-0 loss against Emirati professional football club, Sharjah in the preliminary round of the AFC Champions League. The Bangladeshi side started their AFC Cup campaign with a 3-1 loss against Maziya Sports and Recreation Club. Mohammad Ibrahim scored the only goal for the Kings in the added time.
In the next match, they locked horns against Indian Super League side, Odisha, who recently suffered a defeat by Mohun Bagan in their inaugural match of the AFC Cup. Hosting the Kalinga Warriors at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, the Kings managed to win their first match of the tournament.
Odisha’s Deigo Mauricio scored the first goal of the match. However, Miguel Figueira quickly equalized the match and with the help of a brace from Dorielton Nascimento, Bashundhara took home three points with the score line reading 3-2.
Head to Head Record
Mohun Bagan SG and Bashundhara Kings have locked horns against each other for a total of two times. The Indian Super League giants have managed to win against the Bangladesh Championship League once while the other fixture between the two sides ended in a draw.
The last match between the two sides was won by the Mariners with a scoreline of 4-0. Liston Colaco scored a spectacular hat-trick and the fourth goal of the match was scored by David Williams at the Salt Lake Stadium.
Team News
In September, MBSG’s Ashique Kurinuyan suffered a ligament injury during India’s semi-final match against Iraq in the King’s Cup.
Since then, the Indian winger has been out of action and he is also not expected to make his return soon because his comeback date is still unknown. Except for Kurinuyan, the whole team will be available for the mega brawl against Bashundhara Kings.
Bashundhara Kings players lining up for a pre-match photograph
Striker Mfon Udoh will be missing the Bashundhara Kings’ fixture against the ISL outfit due to suspension. No other injuries or suspensions have been recorded from the side of Óscar Bruzón Barreras.
Predicted XIs
Mohun Bagan SG (3-4-3): Vishal Kaith, Hector Yuste, Brendan Hamill, Anwar Ali, Asish Rai, Glan Martins, Hugo Boumous, Liston Colaco, Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings, Armando Sadiku
Bashundhara Kings (4-2-3-1): Mehedi Hasan, Bishwanath Ghosh, Boburbek Yuldashev, Tariq Kazi, Md Saad Uddin, Asror Gafurov, Didier Brossou, Rakib Hossain, Miguel Figueira, Robinho, Dorielton Gomes Nascimento
Prediction
Juan Ferrando’s Mohun Bagan SG has been displaying brilliant football in the ongoing edition of the AFC Cup. Consequently, the Mariners are also the favorites of the top Group D and carry on their unbeaten run.
The match won’t be taking place at the Salt Lake Stadium, hence, that might be a problem for the Mariners. However, they are still the favorites to outclass Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings.