Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC lineups, team news, prediction and preview

Mohun Bagan Super Giant sit at the top of the ISL table.

Mohun Bagan look to put an end to a frustrating two-game winless run in the Indian Super League (ISL) as they return home to the Salt Lake Stadium to take on Bengaluru FC on Monday (27 January).

The Mariners will be determined to get back to winning ways to extend their lead on top of the ISL table but must be wary of a wounded Bengaluru side which still has a few trump cards capable of ousting any team.

The Stakes

Mohun Bagan

Jose Molina’s side has slightly stuttered in their sprint to retaining the ISL shield this season. A lack of ruthlessness has cost them in recent matches, with the Mariners unable to convert chances properly despite playing some nice attacking football. It’s time that the gaffer ensures that they fix that conversion issue because they really need to take their chances to dominate Bengaluru FC.

The Mariners will be determined to get revenge for their 3-0 loss at Bengaluru earlier this season and put the Blues to the sword with a thrilling attacking display. A big wi can be the exact booster that Mohun Bagan needs to go all the way in securing the ISL shield, while another draw or loss can start tensions to creep up in the title race.

Bengaluru FC

Gone are the days when Bengaluru FC looked like genuine ISL shield contenders in the first phase of the 2024-25 ISL campaign. Now they’re coming into the clash against Mohun Bagan on the back of a four-match winless run and having lose three of their last four games. Gerard Zaragoza needs a big result to uplift his players again and there is no better way for them to regain their confidence levels than ousting the league leaders.

Bengaluru FC just have to be much stronger defensively and maintain a stubborn defensive shape to frustrate Mohun Bagan and bolster their chances of getting a result. If they’re able to scrape through a win, Bengaluru could significantly reignite a late charge towards the top spot. But if they face another humiliating loss, the Blues will be out of the title race for good.

Team & Injury News

Ashique Kuruniyan and Anirudh Thapa are still dealing with injury issues, while Asish Rai is suspended for this game after picking up four yellow cards. Aleksandar Jovanović is out of this game after picking up a red card in the Blues’ recent loss to Odisha FC.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 10

Bengaluru FC wins – 2

Mohun Bagan wins – 7

Draws – 1

Probable Lineups

Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Dippendu Biswas, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose, Lalengmawaia, Sahal Abdul Samad, Manvir Singh, Greg Stewart, Liston Colaco, Jamie Maclaren

Bengaluru FC (4-3-3)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh, Mohammad Salah, Pedro Capo, Suresh Singh, Alberto Noguera, Ryan Williams, Sunil Chhetri, Edgar Mendez

Players to Watch

Jamie Maclaren (Mohun Bagan)

Jamie Maclaren might not be having the most prolific season he would’ve wanted with Mohun Bagan, but at least he loves playing at the Salt Lake Stadium. The Australian striker has scored six goals in the ISL this season, out of which four have come in the Mariners’ home games. He simply loves playing in front of the packed home-field advantage and will attempt to be an absolute thorn in the side of the Bengaluru FC defenders.

Maclaren realizes how Bengaluru FC are going through a wobbly form and will look to throw the defenders off their games with his clever style. He’ll look to use his smart off-the-ball movement to get into the best positions and disrupt their shape. However, Maclaren must put most focus on finishing off whatever chances he gets to inspire his side to a big win.

Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)

Even at the age of 40, Sunil Chhetri is still going remarkably strong on the pitch and acting like an inspired leader for Bengaluru FC. He continues outperforming Indian forwards much younger than him in the ISL and has notched up 11 goals in 17 appearances so far this season. He’s still impressively fast with the ball in his feet and will need to bring his absolute best to the plate against the Mariners.

With Mohun Bagan without their primary right-back Asish Rai, Chhetri will look to be a tormenting factor through the left wing and look to make clever runs into the box. He’ll need to be decisive in getting at the end of opportunities to outwit the strong Mohun Bagan backline and ensure his side can get a positive result from their visit to the Salt Lake Stadium.

Did you know?

• Vishal Kaith is leading the ISL Golden Glove race this season, having picked up nine clean sheets so far.
• Bengaluru FC’s 3-0 win over Mohun Bagan earlier this season is the heaviest defeat suffered by the Mariners under Jose Molina.
• Subhasish Bose has managed 1152 touches of the ball in the 2024-25 ISL season, the second-most for any player in the division.

Telecast Details

The match between Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC will take place at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on 27 January. It will kick off at 7:30 PM IST.

The match will be shown on the Sports 18 network and be live-streamed on JioCinema. International viewers can catch the action on the OneFootball app.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.