Mohun Bagan Super Giant will face off against Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) on February 5, Wednesday, at 7:30 PM IST.

After a clean sweep last season, the Mariners will be looking to complete their second league double over Punjab FC since they won the reverse fixture 3-1 on December 26, 2024. Punjab FC are the only team besides East Bengal FC that Mohun Bagan Super Giant have been unbeaten against in the ISL despite facing more than twice.

As of now, the Mariners are on an eight-game-long winning streak at home. They have recorded six clean sheets in this time period and a victory in the forthcoming fixture will equal the longest home victorious stretch by any team in ISL history, levelling FC Goa’s sequence of nine such games between December 2019-November 2022.

Punjab FC have found been coherent offensively on the road, netting in each of their last five away matches. A strike in this encounter will make it their outright longest run of the same in the league.

Currently, Mohun Bagan Super Giant are placed comfortably at the top, winning 43 points from 19 matches on the back of 13 victories and four draws. They have won thrice and drawn twice in their previous five games. If MBSG draw or win against PFC, they will become the first team to qualify for the playoffs. Punjab FC are placed ninth with seven wins and two draws, having accumulated 23 points thus far. With a solitary win, alongside two draws and losses each in the last five games, they will want to get on a positive rhythm for their remaining seven league matches. They are currently five points behind the sixth-placed Mumbai City FC (28), who have also played an additional game (18).

Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s Home Fortress

* Aerial Dominance: Mohun Bagan Super Giant have netted 10 headed goals this season, which includes two in their previous match against Mohammedan SC. Only Hyderabad FC (14 in 2021-22), Chennaiyin FC (13 in 2017-18), and Mumbai City FC (13 in 2020-21) have scored more in a single ISL campaign. Punjab FC’s box will have to be alert of any lateral deliveries coming their way from the Mariners.

* Possession Play: The Mariners average 8.7 open-play sequences of 10+ passes per game this season, which is the highest amongst all teams. It highlights their strategy of keeping the ball and patiently breaching the opposition’s backline. Punjab FC are the third lowest in the league in this regard, managing an average of just 2.8 such sequences.

Punjab FC’s Defensive Statistics

* Defensive Concerns: Punjab FC will want to fix loopholes in the backline, since they have conceded in their previous three away games, including multiple goals in two of them. If they concede again, they will equal their joint longest such streak (four games between April and November 2024). Overall, the team has kept just three clean sheets this season.

* Goal-Scoring Pattern: Punjab FC have produced middling returns upfront this season. They are eighth in the list of the highest-scoring teams, netting 26 times thus far. Luka Majcen has struck the back of the net seven times for them, whereas Ezequiel Vidal comes in second with five goals.

Head-to-Head Record

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have won all three games played between these two teams in the ISL.

Coaches Corner

“It is important to have balance in the team”

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina spoke about his team’s strength from set pieces.

“Of course, we focus on set-pieces, but we focus equally on attack and defence too. I’ve always spoken about the importance of having balance in the team,” he said.

“We will change a few things”

Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis asked his team to be cautious of Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s goal-scoring prowess.

“Obviously, we will change a few things. One thing we need to be careful about is that most of the times Mohun Bagan is not scoring directly, but they are so strong in second balls and rebounds, that we must be aware of it,” he said.

Key Players & Milestones

* Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s Subhasish Bose has delivered terrific returns on both ends of the field. He has won 36 tackles, made 40 interceptions, and won 126 duels. Impressively, Bose has also scored six goals, including a brace against Mohammedan SC, alongside assisting once.

* Punjab FC’s Filip Mrzljak has had an impactful season thus far, scoring four goals and assisting twice. He has averaged 17 passes per game at 76% accuracy, and has made six successful dribbles in addition to making 17 goal-scoring chances. He found the back of the net in Punjab FC’s 3-2 triumph against Bengaluru FC.

* With five strikes already, Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s Manvir Singh needs one goal to equal his best-ever ISL season tally (6 goals each in 2020-21 & 2021-22). He has recorded eight goal contributions and won 42 aerial duels in the current campaign.

ISL Fantasy

Subhasish Bose (5.2cr)

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant defender has bagged the most ISL fantasy points (166) in his team this season

Nikhil Prabhu (5.2cr)

The Punjab FC star has earned the most ISL fantasy points (74) this season

The Indian Super League will be streamed live on JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam) and telecast live on Star Sports – 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam).

Additionally, select ISL matches will be telecast live on Star Sports Select 1 , Star Sports Select 1 HD, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD & Sports18 - Khel