Bengaluru FC will host Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on April 11, Thursday, at 7:30 pm IST.

It is an absolute must-win match for the Mariners to stay in the hunt of a top-spot finish in the league stages. Currently at 42 points from 20 games, they trail the first-placed Mumbai City FC by five points (47). The equation for the Mohun Bagan Super Giant is straightforward.

They need to win both their remaining games to get to 48 and beat the Islanders to the pole position. Dropping points in this fixture will result in Mumbai City FC being crowned the ISL 2023-24 League Winners. On the other hand, the Mariners can take the battle to the final day of the league with a victory against Bengaluru FC.

The Blues are already out of contention to qualify for the playoffs, after their 2-1 loss to East Bengal FC, who are firmly in the race for top-six. Will the Blues crash Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s party in this big game?

What’s at stake?

Bengaluru FC

There is no tangible outcome for Bengaluru FC to play for in this match. However, they will be eager to end a tumultuous season on a high, giving them hope and confidence before they embark on the coming campaign. Their home record this season has been impressive, having been unbeaten in their last six matches here.

Their defensive record has been encouraging as well, having kept consecutive clean sheets in the last two home games. Their previous best in this regard was a run of three games in January 2020. However, they have never gone without conceding a goal against the Mariners in the history of the ISL. The Mariners, contrastingly, have netted 41 times in ISL 2023-24, which is the joint-most amongst all teams along with Mumbai City FC. Will the Blues put an end to their goal-scoring onslaught on Thursday?

Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Mohun Bagan Super Giant will hope to complete their second league double over Bengaluru FC in ISL 2023-24, after having won their reverse fixture by 1-0 in September. The Mariners are unbeaten in their last five games on the road in the ISL. Their last longer stretch than this was a series of six games from February-December 2023. Mohun Bagan Super Giant have netted eight times between 16-30 minutes of their matches this season. This shows that they take some time to get their eye in but are ruthlessly efficient in putting chances to bed once things start swinging their way.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Antonio Lopez Habas averages 2.2 points per game for Bengaluru FC in the league phases of the ISL, which is his second highest average against a team that he has played at least twice in the competition (East Bengal FC – 2.6). All eyes will be on Dimitrios Petratos, who has been the Mariners’ most reliable figure upfront and has in fact netted four times against Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Key Players to Watch Out

Naorem Roshan Singh (Bengaluru FC)

Naorem Roshan Singh has averaged 2.9 tackles per 90 minutes in ISL 2023-24, which is only behind Jiteshwor Singh (4.0) and Vishnu Puthiya (3.4) in the league. Roshan has averaged 36 passes per game at 73% accuracy. He has won 28 tackles, made 31 interceptions, won 109 duels, 16 aerial ones, along with making four blocks, and 103 recoveries too. He has created 14 goal-scoring opportunities and notched 39 clearances. Roshan will be tasked to stop Manvir Singh, who can be a menace from the right flank of the Mariners.

Manvir Singh (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

Manvir Singh has scored twice and notched six assists in 18 appearances in ISL 2023-24. He has recorded 85 touches in the box of the opposition, making 21 successful dribbles, 25 key passes, creating 31 goal-scoring chances, along with winning 71 duels and making 81 recoveries as well. Manvir has averaged 30 passes per game at 79% accuracy, emerging as a key domestic attacker in the ranks of the Mariners along with his teammate Liston Colaco who operates off the other flank. Manvir has had 51.9% of all his shots hit the target in the current ISL season, the highest among all Indian players in the competition.

Read More

• https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/we-could-not-win-duels-bengaluru-fcs-gerard-zaragoza
  
  
• https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/we-needed-those-three-points-against-punjab-fc-mohun-bagan-sgs-manuel-cascallana

Head-to-Head

Played – 8

Bengaluru FC – 1

Mohun Bagan Super Giant – 6

Draws – 1

Trivia: The only time Dimitrios Petratos has failed to score against Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was during their last meeting in September 2023.

Team Talk

“It of course was not a great season. When BFC don’t qualify for playoffs, we cannot say it’s a great season. The reality is that we need to improve in our away games,” Bengaluru FC Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza quipped ahead of the match.

“We talked about winning three games in a row. We did it in Delhi, and now we have to win two games. The pressure is always there as professional players and coaches, but it’s a good pressure and we have to manage the same,” Mohun Bagan Super Giant assistant coach Manuel Perez said in the pre-match press conference.

ISL Fantasy

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (3.6cr)

Has been picked by 25% of the ISL fantasy users in their teams

Sunil Chhetri (6.3cr)

Has accumulated 63 ISL fantasy points this season

Dimitrios Petratos (10.6cr)

Has bagged 84 ISL fantasy points this season

If not registered already, fans can participate in the overall league or club-based leagues based on their preferences. Create private leagues, inviting friends and fellow football aficionados to compete. Prizes include a Sony PlayStation ®️ ️5 gaming console, EA Sports FC 24, signed club merchandise, and a Gift Card worth INR 20,000, which will be awarded to 100 winners at the end of the season. Sign up at: https://fantasy.indiansuperleague.com/

Where to Watch

Fans across the country can catch the action in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam. Fans can watch the action on linear channels like Sports18 Khel (Hindi), Sports18 1 HD (English), Sports18 3 SD (English, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali), VH1 SD & HD (English), Surya Movies (Malayalam), News 18 Kerala (Malayalam – select matches) & DD Bangla (Bengali). Fans can also catch the action streaming Live for free on JioCinema, the home of Indian football. In addition to this, as part of FSDL’s partnership with OneFootball, ISL live streams and highlights of all matches of the upcoming 2023-24 season will be delivered across more than 190 countries.