Mumbai City FC battle with Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on April 15, Monday, at 7:30 pm IST in a match that will straightaway determine the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 League Winners.

At the top of the table right now, Mumbai City FC have accumulated 47 points from 21 matches, having won all of their last five games.

They are closely trailed by the Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who have 45 points from as many matches. A win here will take the Mariners to 48 points, helping them beat the Islanders to the title.

Similarly, a victory for the Islanders will ensure that they lift the shield by a margin of five points. Even a draw will be insufficient for the Antonio Lopez Habas-coached side to finish atop the standings.

The situation in the league currently is starkly similar to ISL 2020-21. Even back then, the fight for the League Shield had gone to the final day of the league campaign, with the then Sergio Lobera-coached Mumbai City FC edging past Habas’ Mariners by 2-0 courtesy of first-half strikes by Mourtada Fall and Bartholomew Ogbeche.

Will Mumbai City FC repeat that feat this year, or will Habas execute his revenge?

 

What’s at stake?

Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Keeping their attacking prowess aside, Mohun Bagan Super Giant have been faring fairly well at the back too. They have kept clean sheets in each of their last two matches, and the last time they went on a longer such streak was a run of four games from November-December 2022.

The Mariners have also scored in each of their last five home matches. Their previous best record on this front was a stretch of six such clashes from October-December 2022. In fact, their current five-game stretch is their longest when scoring multiple goals in a home game.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant (501) are one of two teams to have registered 500+ touches in the opposition box in the ongoing season (FC Goa – 591); Mumbai City FC (498) are two such touches away from becoming the third team to do so.

The above facts clearly suggest that a face-off of equals is on the cards here, with abundant offensive flair and defensive discipline set to be on display in the encounter.

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC have held the upper hand in most of their recent meetings against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant. They have been unbeaten in their previous eight matches against the Mariners, having won six times and drawn twice in these games.

The Islanders seem to have the perfect fix to the offensive powerhouse that the Mohun Bagan Super Giant boast of. For instance, Mumbai City FC have kept four clean sheets in their last five away games. Prior to that, they had not conceded a goal in a game in four out of only their previous 14 matches on the road, suggesting a tangible recent development on this front.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant host dynamic wingers in Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh, who can be lethal with their deliveries from the flank. However, the Islanders have conceded only once from a cross this season, the lowest amongst all teams, cutting down a possible area that the Mariners could have intensified their attacks from.

With brilliant individual talent and smart tacticians at play, one must expect fireworks from this clash.

 

Key Players to Watch Out

Manvir Singh (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

Manvir Singh has had a terrific campaign so far, netting thrice and assisting seven times across 19 appearances in the ISL. He has provided the most assists by an Indian player and joint second most overall (Madih Talal – 10) this season. In fact, if he provides an assist in this game, he will equal Roy Krishna’s record for most assists provided in a single season by a Mariner in competition history.

Manvir has recorded 90 touches in the box of the opposition in the current campaign. He has made 22 successful dribbles, 25 key passes, and created 32 goal-scoring opportunities. Manvir has recorded a shooting accuracy of 64%, and a goal conversion rate of 12%. He has made 30 passes per game at 78% accuracy, winning 75 duels, making 84 recoveries, and has been booked merely twice.

 

Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mumbai City FC)

Lallianzuala Chhangte inspired Mumbai City FC to an emphatic victory against Odisha FC in their previous match with a goal and an assist each. Chhangte has notched six goals and assists each in 21 league appearances this season. He has made 94 touches in the opposition’s box, attempting 23 passes per game at 84% accuracy.

He has made 28 successful dribbles, 26 key passes, and also created 32 goal-scoring chances. Chhangte has taken 18 shots on target so far, and he has also won 65 duels in addition to making 71 recoveries. With a goal conversion rate of 18.18%, Chhangte has followed up his brilliant season last time around with another impactful campaign this year.

 

Read More

• https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/we-were-more-clinical-in-the-final-third-mohun-bagan-sgs-manuel-cascallana
• https://www.indiansuperleague.com/news/they-worked-hard-and-got-rewarded-mumbai-city-fcs-petr-kratky

 

Head-to-Head

Played - 24

Mumbai City FC - 11

Mohun Bagan Super Giant - 6

Draws - 7

Trivia: Since the start of 2024, Alberto Noguera (Mumbai City FC) has recorded a passing accuracy of 79.3% for passes ending in the final third, the third highest among all players in the ISL to have attempted at least 50 such passes.

 

Team Talk

“Mumbai City FC are a very good team with many good players. They are unbeaten and also in the top-two spots since a long time now. We’ll try to help our players in ways they can do better tomorrow,” Mohun Bagan Super Giant Assistant Coach Manuel Perez said in the pre-match press conference.

“We have overall done well throughout the season. It’s come down to one game now. It’s like a final now, essentially a game for the League Shield itself,” Mumbai City FC Head Coach Petr Kratky said before the game.

 

ISL Fantasy

Dimitrios Petratos (10.6cr)

Has accumulated 89 ISL fantasy points this season

Jason Cummings (8.4cr)

Has been picked by 15% of the ISL fantasy users in their teams

 

Lallianzuala Chhangte (8.4cr)

Has garnered 74 ISL fantasy points in the current campaign

 

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.