AFC Cup: Mohun Bagan meet debutants Odisha FC

Odisha FC are the fifth ISL club to play in the AFC Cup.

The AFC Cup 2023-24 campaign is set to kick off for Indian Super League (ISL) sides on Tuesday, 19 September when Odisha FC locks horns with Mohun Bagan Super Giant. This will be the first time these two teams will face each other in the continental competition, but they are well aware of each other in the domestic circuit.

With only one team able to move out of the group, this will be a key match for both ISL heavyweights. Mohun Bagan will hope to make good use of their star-studded squad to get a big win, while Odisha FC will aim to get the new era under Sergio Lobera up and running with the best possible result.

The Stakes

Odisha FC

The Juggernauts will be making their AFC Cup debut this year thanks to their Super Cup triumph last season. Odisha FC have reinforced their squad strongly in the summer, not only bringing in Lobera, but a number of key foreign players to add firepower and experience to their squad.

They have a solid set-up to help them fight in Asia and will need to validate all the recent investments in the AFC Cup. Losing their first game at home can derail their AFC Cup group stages campaign seeing the tough games ahead. A win, however, can help Lobera’s side send out a statement of their intent to compete for major honours this season.

Mohun Bagan SG

Mohun Bagan flexed their financial power in the summer window, spending crazy money to sign some of India’s best players as well as high-quality foreign talents. This is because of Sanjiv Goenka’s dream to see his side become one of the best teams in Asia and compete strongly in AFC competitions.

That is why winning this opening game to set the stage for a dominant group stage is so crucial for Juan Ferrando’s side. They need to prove their quality by ousting their fellow ISL side and take early advantage in their group. A loss, or even draw, can be quite a setback and force them to play the remaining games with an added amount of pressure.

Injury & Team News

Odisha FC will be without young players Narender Gahlot and Aniket Jadhav, whom the club has allowed to join the India side for the upcoming Asian Games.

Mohun Bagan SG will miss Ashique Kuruniyan, who picked up a season-ending injury during the international break for India.

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Head-to-Head

While Mohun Bagan SG and Odisha FC will face each other for the first time since the former rebranded their name this season, the two sides met each other quite a few times in the past few campaigns.

Over the last three ISL campaigns, the erstwhile ATK Mohun Bagan met Odisha FC seven times. The Kolkata side won four of those games, with the remaining matches being drawn.

Predicted Line-ups

Odisha FC (4-2-3-1)

Amrinder Singh (GK), Amey Ranawade, Carlos Delgado, Mourtada Fall, Sahil Panwar, Ahmed Jahouh, Princeton Rebello, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Cy Goddard, Diego Mauricio, Roy Krishna

Mohun Bagan SG (4-2-3-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Asish Rai, Anwar Ali, Hector Yuste, Subhasish Bose, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Hugo Boumous, Dimitri Petratos, Manvir Singh, Jason Cummings

Player to Watch

Diego Mauricio (Odisha FC)

After enjoying a prolific season with Odisha FC, Diego Mauricio will look to prove his quality in the Asian competitions. He played a huge role in helping his side earn a place in the AFC Cup, being an absolute torment for ISL opponents. Mauricio will need to be at his sharpest for Odisha to put the Mariners under pressure and force them into mistakes.

He will look to be very active in the build-up play, creating more chances with his smart passes into the final third. Mauricio, of course, works best as a goal-scorer and will look to do that by sneaking into key areas and slotting powerful shots past the goalkeeper.

Jason Cummings (Mohun Bagan SG)

The major reason behind Mohun Bagan SG splurging money to sign Jason Cummings was for him to lead them to continental success. The Australia national team star has actually never played in this competition before, but has succeeded in other difficult competitions like the EFL Championship – scoring 63 goals in 112 appearances in the English division.

Cummings can be a menace in the final third with his movement and link-up play, helping his side create genuine chances. Moreover, the Australian forward is a deadly goal-scorer and doesn’t need many chances to score. He’ll put his clinical goal-scoring skills to the test and look to torment Odisha FC in his first continental game for the Mariners.

Did you know?

• Odisha FC will be the fifth Indian Super League (ISL) side making their debut in the AFC Cup.
• The AFC competitions will allow teams to play six foreign players (five foreigners +one from AFC federations) this season onwards.
• Subasish Bose will be participating in his fifth AFC Cup edition with the Mariners this year.

Telecast

The AFC Cup group stage opener between Odisha FC and Mohun Bagan SG will take place on 19 September at the Kalinga Stadium, Odisha. It will kick off at 7:30 PM IST and will stream on the FanCode app.