The first leg of the first semi-final of the Indian Super League season is set to see Odisha take on 2023-24 ISL League Shield Winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant at home on Tuesday at 7:30 PM IST. The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar will see these two Eastern rivals take on each other as they aim to reserve their spot in the grand finale.
Unbeaten in their last 17 home games, head coach Sergio Lobera will want to go all out for one last shot at winning a trophy this season.
Speaking to the press after their win over the Yellow Army, Lobera had also applauded the fans at the Fortress. He said, ”I think the environment today in the stadium was amazing and they deserve to be in this semi-finals. We are going to fight till the end to get something important for this club, hopefully the ISL trophy.”
The Odisha head coach was also upbeat in the pre-match press conference and spoke about keeping the momentum on their side ahead of the second leg in Kolkata.
The 47-year old said,
“At Kalinga, We want to keep our momentum in terms of results at home. We have competed very well with them previously this season and I understand this is a different competition but we need to manage the situation well. To play here, it’s not easy for the opponent teams, especially in difficult moments.”
Current Form
Odisha is coming into the game having secured a win in the playoffs at home over Kerala Blasters, which will no doubt be a big boost for their confidence as they eked out a brilliant 2-1 comeback win.
Coming back from a goal down in the 67th minute to equalising courtesy of a Diego Mauricio strike in the 87th minute and then sealing the win in extra time thanks to Isak Vanlalruatfela, the Juggernauts proved their mettle in front of the home crowd.
The Juggernauts had a strong start to the league stage but lost the steam in the second half of the season, essentially surrendering the Shield to the Mariners. Eventually, they could only muster a 4th-placed finish on the table, which led to them having to feature in the knockout fixture.
On the other hand, Mohun Bagan Super Giant directly qualified for the semi-final stage after winning the League Winners’ Shield courtesy of goals from Liston Colaco and Jason Cummings against Mumbai City in the Shield decider.
MBSG comes into this fixture in impeccable form, having won their last 6 away games. Head coach Antonio Lopez Habas has been ailing for a while but made it a point to be on the sidelines as his side saw off Mumbai City to clinch the shield which breathed new life into the Mariners.
From being nine points behind Goa when he took charge in February to finishing atop the table with a record 48 points, the highest ever in ISL history, it has been quite a journey for the fans over the last 80 days.
Head to Head Record
The two sides have faced each other 10 times, with the Juggernauts notching only one win while the Mariners have five wins to their name.
Interestingly, the last time these two played each other was a 0-0 draw in the league but they have also faced each other twice in the AFC Cup group stage as well this season. Odisha won one of the fixtures 5-2, while the Mariners registered a 4-0 win in the reverse fixture.
In the other league game in Kolkata, the two sides played out a belter of a 2-2 draw which saw Armando Sadiku and Ahmed Jahouh both score braces while Diego Mauricio saw a red card in the 99th minute.
Team News
Brendan Hamill will be a big miss in the Mariners’ backline
For the hosts, all key players are available and Lobera will have a full squad fit and raring to go against the first-time League Shield Winners on Tuesday.
For Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Brendan Hamill picked up a red card against the Islanders and hence will be missing out on this critical clash. Habas cleared Sahal Abdul Samad fit for the upcoming clash after the midfielder missed the crucial clash against the Islanders last Monday.
The MBSG head coach said,
“Sahal is perfectly 100% fine. All I have to say now, is we have all the squad available for playing this match. I’m very happy because the commitment to the project until now is 100%.”
Predicted Starting XIs
Odisha (4-2-3-1): Amrinder Singh; Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall, Narender Gahlot, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Ahmed Jahouh, Puitea; Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Diego Mauricio, Isak Vanlalruatfela; Roy Krishna
Mohun Bagan Super Giant (3-2-4-1): Vishal Kaith; Anwar Ali, Héctor Yuste, Subhasish Bose; Abhishek Suryavanshi, Joni Kauko; Manvir Singh, Dimitri Petratos, Anirudh Thapa, Liston Colaco; Armando Sadiku
Prediction
The Juggernauts will be desperate to garner a first-leg advantage before they face the Mariners in Kolkata in front of a 60,000 audience. However, Lobera will need to figure out a way to ensure his team does not concede to Cummings and Dimitrios Petratos, who have scored 10 goals each this season in the league.
The Roy Krishna-Mauricio combo which has 23 strikes in between them will have to find room to operate but with Abhishek Suryavanshi and Joni Kauko both in fine form, Isak’s role upfront is key to Odisha’s fortunes in the first leg.
