With the 2023-24 Indian Super League season coming to an end for 10 ISL teams, transfer activity has been rampant in the past few days but Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City are focused on their biggest match of the season as the final of the ongoing ISL season will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday from 7:30 pm onwards.
After enthralling action in both legs of the two semi-finals, the Mariners and the Islanders defeated Odisha and Goa respectively to set up a final in the City of Joy.
Petr Kratky in an interview with Times of India spoke about how the Islanders are in a much better position knowing that only a positive result on Saturday would get them over a finishing line unlike when they needed a draw in the last league match to lift the League Winners’ Shield.
The Mumbai City head coach said,
“I feel much more calmer than before because we know what we are getting into. We were there a couple of weeks ago and know there will be 60,000 plus fans.”
Talking about the final, the Czech head coach feels much more comfortable going into Saturday’s match but also asked for more consistency from his players.
The head coach said,
“We need to have a strong mentality. That’s the evolution I need, to become consistent. In our lives, how many chances do we get to be in that position? If you have the chance, you need to win. That’s a non-negotiable.”
Current Form
Mumbai City finished as the runners-up in the league with 45 points as they underwent a change of head coach in the midst of the season as Des Buckingham departed for Oxford United where he has helped the club qualify for the League One Playoffs.
The Islanders rebuilt their season under Kratky after elimination from the Super Cup semi-final and were in touching distance of a trophy when the Mariners defeated them on the last day of the league season to win the League Winners’ Shield. The Islanders then had to play in the semi-final against Goa where they were trailing 2-0 till the 89th minute of the first leg but ended up 5-2 victors at the end of the tie.
Under Juan Ferrando, Mohun Bagan Super Giant had a great start to the ISL season with a 7-match unbeaten streak that involved 6 wins and a draw against Odisha. After elimination from the AFC Cup, it was expected that the Mariners would double down their focus in the league but three consecutive losses to Mumbai City, Goa, and Kerala Blasters derailed their season and Ferrando had to depart from the club in the middle of the season.
Under Antonio Lopez Habas, the Mariners bounced back with an 8-match unbeaten streak which involved two Kolkata Derbies along with clashes against Goa, Kerala Blasters, and Odisha as well.
After a loss to Chennaiyin at the end of March, MBSG bounced back again with three consecutive wins to win the League Winners’ Shield for the first time in the club’s history. The Mariners enjoyed a week-long break before losing 2-1 in Bhubaneswar to Odisha in the first leg of the semi-final before winning 2-0 in Kolkata to get the aggregate score to 3-2 in their favor.
Head to Head Record
In the 4 ISL fixtures between MBSG and Mumbai City, the Sky Blues hold a slight dominance as they have won two fixtures while the Kolkata giants have only sealed one win with a solitary fixture ending as a 2-2 draw.
In the ongoing ISL season, the Islanders defeated the Mariners 2-1 at the Mumbai Football Arena in an affair that was loaded with red cards as a total of seven players were sent off on an eventful evening in the City of Dreams.
The reverse fixture was the League Winners’ Shield decider and MBSG pounced upon the perfect moment to take revenge and seal a 2-1 win in a match that witnessed only one sending-off in Kolkata.
Team News
Armando Sadiku has been suspended for four matches by the AIFF Disciplinary Committee
In the first leg of the semi-final against Odisha, Armando Sadiku saw a red card and the Albanian forward was suspended for 4 matches by the AIFF Disciplinary Committee in a decision that was announced before the second leg commenced against Odisha at home.
Left-back Akash Mishra is ruled out of the final with a knee injury while midfield lynchpin Yoell van Nieff would miss the final after collecting a yellow card each in both legs of the semi-final against Goa.
Alberto Noguera came off the bench for the last few minutes of action on Monday and a few more days’ training and rest could allow the Spaniard to slot in midfield alongside Apuia and Jayesh Rane.
Predicted Starting XIs
Mohun Bagan Super Giant (3-2-4-1): Vishal Kaith; Anwar Ali, Hector Yuste, Subashish Bose; Abhishek Suryavanshi, Joni Kauko; Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Dimitrios Petratos, Liston Colaco; Jason Cummings
Mumbai City (4-3-2-1): Phurba Lachenpa; Rahul Bheke, Thaer Krouma, Tiri, Mehtab Singh; Jayesh Rane, Apuia, Alberto Noguera; Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vikram Partap Singh; Jorge Pereyra Diaz
Prediction
Lopez Habas has inspired the Mariners to achieve the highest of the peaks and the club management and fans would like nothing less than a double at this stage of the season.
On the other hand, Kratky’s side would be high on confidence after a 5-2 aggregate win against Goa and can deploy an attacking midfield from the word go to exact revenge on the Mariners as MBSG edged the Sky Blues to win the 2023-24 ISL League Winners’ Shield on 15th April.
