ISL 2023-24: Mohun Bagan vs FC Goa | Preview, Predicted lineup, injury news, H2H, telecast details

Mohun Bagan have scored 18 goals in eight ISL 2023-24 games so far, more than any other team.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant will hope to recover strongly from their first loss of the 2023-24 Indian Super League (ISL) season when they host FC Goa at the Salt Lake Stadium,  Kolkata on Saturday (December 23). The Mariners are still in the running to finish 2023 on top of the ISL table, but will have to break the unbeaten run of Manolo Marquez’s rigid side to get all three points at home.

Away side FC Goa on the other hand are standing tall in the first position of the points table, unbeaten and ready to face the Kolkata giants.

The Stakes

Mohun Bagan

Juan Ferrando saw his side go down in a rather bizarre fashion against Mumbai City FC in what was probably one of the most chaotic matches in recent Indian football history. The Mariners saw three players sent off ultimately and are somewhat crippled against a side that hasn’t lost a game this season.

With that being said, the Kolkata giants still boast a lot of quality players who are proven match-winners and need to bring their very best to entertain the crowd against the Gaurs. Ferrando will hope that his side are at their lethal best, knowing that a win can not only take them to the top of the ISL table – but also break FC Goa’s momentum. Another loss, however, could ruin all the brilliant work they’ve done in the early season and see them fall behind in the title race.

FC Goa

Manolo Marquez has made his FC Goa side an impenetrable fortress, with the Gaurs only conceding three goals in eight games. But they now face arguably their biggest challenge yet away to one of the strongest frontlines in the league. It’s time for Goa to put money where their mouth is and further derail the confidence levels of the Mariners.

Marquez will probably urge his side to maintain a compact defensive shape and frustrate the hosts with their rigid defending. He’ll also need them to be lethal on the counter-attack to get a valuable win and keep their undefeated streak alive. A win can be a statement of intent from Goa and structure them as genuine favourites for the league title. However, a loss can see them unseated from the top spot and have to play catch-up in the race.

Team News

Mohun Bagan will be missing a host of players due to suspension after that Mumbai City game. Asish Rai, Liston Colaco and Hector Yuste are all suspended. Anwar Ali and Ashique Kuruniyan remain injured.

Head-to-Head

Mohun Bagan and FC Goa met earlier this season at the Durand Cup, where the Mariners got the better of the Gaurs and got a 2-1 win in the semi-finals. Before that, the erstwhile ATK Mohun Bagan faced FC Goa six times in the ISL – winning four times and losing just once.

Probable Lineups

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

Vishal Kaith (GK), Lalrinliana Hnamte, Brendan Hamill, Sumit Rathi, Subashish Bose, Deepak Tangri, Anirudh Thapa, Manvir Singh, Hugo Boumous, Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings

FC Goa (4-2-3-1)

Arshdeep Singh (GK),  Seriton Fernandes, Odei Onaindia, Sandesh Jhingan, Jay Gupta, Carl McHugh, Raynier Fernandes, Boris Singh, Victor Rodriguez, Udanta Singh, Noah Sadaoui

Player To Watch

Jason Cummings (Mohun Bagan SG)

With two goals in as many appearances, Jason Cummings seems to have picked up his form for Mohun Bagan in recent games. He is finally starting to show signs of the lethal centre-forward that the club paid big money to sign earlier this year. Cummings has got that special something in his arsenal that can help disbalance FC Goa’s rigid defensive shape.

He will have to move around the final third to drag defenders out of their comfort zone and allow his teammates to pounce on their errors. Cummings will also look to get in behind the defenders into the empty spaces at the perfect time to help the Mariners end Goa’s unbeaten streak.

Noah Sadaoui (FC Goa)

Noah Sadaoui has been a livewire in FC Goa’s frontline under Manolo Marquez and has thrived with the freedom in which he can operate. With two goals so far this season, Sadaoui knows that he is more than capable of doing much, much better going forward.

Sadaoui is extremely proactive in testing opposition goalkeepers with constant shots, having made 34 shots and had 13 on target. He will look to be a menace for the Mohun Bagan defenders and get into the right positions in the final third to trouble Vishal Kaith with his emphatic shots.

Did you know?

• Mohun Bagan SG have scored 18 goals in 8 ISL games so far, more than any other team in the league.
• FC Goa have conceded the least number of goals for any ISL side this season so far (3) and kept the most clean sheets (6).
• Victor Rodriguez has created 20 chances for FC Goa this season, the third-most for any player in the ISL.

Telecast

The Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs FC Goa game kicks off at 8 PM IST, at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on 23 December. Live telecast of the fixture will be available on Sports18 Network (Sports18 1/VH1 Channel). Live streaming of the game will be available on the JioCinema app. Viewers from abroad can use OneFootball to stream the game.

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