Odisha FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant will clash at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in the first leg of their semi-final encounter of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on April 23, Tuesday, at 7:30 pm IST.

Recent Form:

  • The Mariners qualified for the last-four by virtue of emerging as the ISL 2023-24 Champions courtesy of finishing at the top of the points table at the end of the league stages.
  • On the other hand, Odisha FC edged past Kerala Blasters FC in the playoffs to make it to the semi-final. Both these teams have squared off multiple times this season, both in the ISL as well as the AFC Cup where they were pitted in the same group.
  • The Juggernauts will take confidence from having optimised their home advantage against the Yellow Army in the previous match, hoping for a similar outcome this time around.
  • Similarly, Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be riding high on confidence after they beat Mumbai City FC in the title-winning clash at the Salt Lake Stadium last week. They will be raring to take on an Odisha FC unit that has historically not fared well against them in the ISL.

Overall Form:

  • For a large portion of the season, Odisha FC were in the reckoning for the top-two positions in the table. However, they didn’t enter the playoffs with a good run of results behind them, hence settling for the fourth spot in the standings with 39 points to their name.
  • Contrastingly, the Mariners produced a late surge, taking Mumbai City FC heads on, winning four out of their last five games to edge past the Islanders and emerge as the ISL 2023-24 League Winners in an emphatic fashion in their home ground on the final day of the league stages. 

What’s at stake?

Odisha FC

  • Odisha FC are winless in their nine ISL encounters against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant. They have drawn five games and lost four in this time period. Both their matches in the ISL this season resulted in a draw, and only against FC Goa (10) have Odisha FC played more matches without recording a victory in the league.
  • Simultaneously, Sergio Lobera has managed to build a bastion at the Kalinga Stadium in his first season in-charge of the club. They are unbeaten in their 12 matches at home in the current campaign, and Bengaluru FC are the only side to have played more consecutive matches in their home turf without losing (19 matches from January 2018-November 2019).
  • However, Odisha FC had defeated the Mohun Bagan Super Giant by 5-2 in their AFC Cup fixture earlier this season, showing that they have it in them to get the better of the might Mariners across 90 minutes. Lobera will want to leave no stone unturned to get his side at least a slight goal advantage before the high-octane action shifts to Kolkata for the second leg.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant

  • Mohun Bagan Super Giant have been on a terrific run of form both at home and on the road in this campaign. They have won each of their last four away matches and kept a clean sheet in two of them. In fact, the club has dropped points away from home only twice this season, which suggests that Odisha FC cannot completely bank on their strengths.
  • Moreover, they are unbeaten in their last five playoff games in the competition, keeping a clean sheet in four of these matches.
  • Arguably, their biggest strength is the ability to unlock the opposition in different ways, having won 57.05% of their aerial duels, which is the highest such rate of any team in ISL 2023-24. Whilst Odisha FC have Mourtada Fall to guard their backline from any such threats, it’s important that they counter every such facet of the game where the Mariners are ahead of them.
  • Having scored 47 goals from their 22 league matches, the Mohun Bagan Super Giant can turn the intensity on in the frontline, keeping them in the fray of things in all phases of the match.

Key Players to Watch Out

Isak Vanlalruatfela (Odisha FC)

  • Isak Vanlalruatfela came in clutch by clinching the winner against Kerala Blasters FC in the knockouts. He has had a breakout season this time around, scoring four goals and notching three assists in 22 appearances.
  • He has averaged 26 passes per game at 75% accuracy, making 11 key passes, creating 14 goal-scoring opportunities, and completing 30 successful dribbles. Isak has made eight interceptions, 10 clearances, and won 14 aerial duels. He has made 95 recoveries and won 96 duels, and will be looking forward to delivering another impactful outing in this match.

Liston Colaco (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

  • Liston Colaco scored a stunning opening strike in the Mariners’ win against Mumbai City FC in the last match. The attacker has scored and assisted four times each in 16 appearances this season.
  • He has had 44 touches of the ball in the box of the opposition, making 10 key passes, creating 14 goal-scoring chances, and completing 15 successful dribbles too.
  • He has averaged 26 passes per game at 77% accuracy, winning 78 duels and making 82 recoveries. Colaco has recorded a goal conversion rate of 13.79%, and will be a force to reckon with the Odisha FC defence.

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Head-to-Head

Played – 9

Odisha FC – 0

Mohun Bagan Super Giant – 4

Draws – 5

Trivia: Diego Mauricio (Odisha FC) has failed to score in eight ISL games against Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

Team Talk

“They have a very good team. We also have a very good team and we are unbeaten at Kalinga. We want to continue that momentum at home and also, we competed very well against them in the four previous matches,” Odisha FC Head Coach Sergio Lobera mentioned before the match.

“We have our entire squad available to play this match. It’s very difficult to have all the players available in the last few matches, it’s usually not possible over a long period of time,” Mohun Bagan Super Giant assistant coach Manuel Perez said in the pre-match press conference.

ISL Fantasy

Dimitrios Petratos (10.8cr)

Has picked 96 ISL fantasy points this season

Jason Cummings (8.3cr)

Has won 79 ISL fantasy points in 2023-24

Amey Ranawade (4.3cr)

Has been picked by 29% of ISL fantasy users in their teams

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.

Related tags:

Odisha FCMohun Bagan Super Giant2023-2024 Match Preview