ISL 2023-24: Bengaluru FC aim resurgence against Mohun Bagan

Bengaluru FC lost their ISL opener to Kerala Blasters.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant aim to continue their thrilling start to the 2023-24 Indian Super League (ISL) season against Bengaluru FC at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Wednesday (September 27).

The Mariners are flying high in the early part of the season. They’ve won the Durand Cup, soaring in the AFC Cup group stages and dominating the ISL. Safe to say, it’ll be an intimidating task for Bengaluru FC to break their winning run.

Simon Grayson’s side suffered bitter defeat on a wet night in Kerala last week and are yet to hit the ground running. But knowing their ability to outwit teams in ‘big game’ scenarios, this one should be a fascinating battle between two of Indian football’s best.

The Stakes

Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan have just lost one of all their matches this season and are flying high with thunderous momentum behind them. The Mariners have an absolutely stacked unit filled with some of India’s best talents and premier Asian talents too. Juan Ferrando’s side rode high on their home form last season and know how important it is to win the home games to challenge for the league shield.

That is why anything but a win against a shaky Bengaluru FC side can be quite disappointing for the Mariners. Not only that, but it could be an early blow to their league shield aspirations and force them to fall slightly behind the top challengers. Despite their exhausting schedule, Mohun Bagan will fight hard to win this game to keep their amazing momentum in check.

Bengaluru FC

Bengalauru FC had a disappointing end to the 2022-23 ISL season and an equal start in the latest campaign.  Simon Grayson’s side looks far from the finished product and with the same problems they encountered in their disastrous early part of last season.

The Blues will aim to stop that early-season rot from setting in by getting a result out of this game. They know how important a win against a strong Mohun Bagan side can be to improve their confidence. Grayson will need his side to be ruthless in the attack and less error-prone defensively to do so. A loss, however, can further deplete their confidence levels and bring back a sense of nervousness among the fans.

Injury & Team News

Mohun Bagan will be without Ashique Kuruniyan, who is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Sumit Rathi is unavailable too as he’s with the Indian team for the Asian Games. Anirudh Thapa is back from suspension.

Bengaluru FC are, of course, without leader Sunil Chhetri and winger Rohit Danu due to their national team commitments at the Asian Games.

Head-to-Head

Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru have met each other many times in the past and here are the stats.

Total Matches Played – 8

Mohun Bagan wins – 5

Bengaluru FC wins – 1

Drawn – 2

Predicted Lineups

Mohun Bagan SG (3-4-3)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Anwar Ali, Hector Yuste, Brendan Hamill, Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Subashish Bose, Dimitri Petratos, Liston Colaco, Jason Cummings

Bengaluru FC (4-2-3-1)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Namgyal Bhutia, Slavko Damjanovic, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Jessel Carneiro, Suresh Singh, Rohit Kumar, Naorem Roshan Singh, Javi Hernandez, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Curtis Main

Players to Watch

Sahal Abdul Samad (Mohun Bagan)

Sahal Abdul Samad has had an impressive start to his career at Mohun Bagan. He has taken to Juan Ferrando’s system perfectly and looks a menacing threat in this line-up. Sahal’s clever off-the-ball movement, link-up play and ability to be in the right places at the right time makes him a major threat for any side. He’ll look to torment old foes Bengaluru FC by producing his unpredictable final product at the perfect moments and elevate the attacking threat of his side.

Curtis Main (Bengaluru FC)

Curtis Main looked like a menacing threat for Bengaluru FC after coming on against Kerala Blasters. The former St Mirren forward is a wily old fox in the box, knowing exactly how and when to pounce on chances. His smart movement and clever runs can trouble the Mariners’ backline and help his side destabilize their shape. Main will also look to finish off any chance he gets to continue his impressive start in the ISL.

Did you know?

• Jason Cummings scored his first ISL goal in just 10 minutes, one of the fastest scored by an Aussie debutant in the league.
• Bengaluru FC are currently on a two-game losing streak in the ISL, after having won 11 games before that.
• Slavko Damjanovic was part of Mohun Bagan’s ISL title success last season.

Telecast

The Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC kicks off at 8 PM IST, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on 27 September, 2023. Live telecast of the fixture will be available on the Sports18 1 channel. Live streaming of the game will be available on the JioCinema app.