Mohun Bagan host Bengaluru FC in last AFC Cup group stage match

Mohun Bagan started their group stage outing rather brightly but currently lie in the third position of the table in Group E with three points, following Bengaluru FC and Maziya in the top two places respectively. . .

Mohun Bagan, the Kolkata giants who recently finished second in the country’s top tier league, is already up and running as the Mariners have already reached the final of Federation Cup. However, the Mariners had a not-so-good outing in this year’s AFC Cup, of which they are now not a part of as they were defeated by Maldivian side Maziya S&RC recently after conceding five goals. 

Team News

Bengaluru FC will be without the services of skipper Sunil Chhetri who picked up a muscle tear injury in their last match in the Federation Cup semi-final against Aizawl FC. However, the rest of the Blues’ squad members are injury free which will enable Coach Albert Roca to possibilities.

Despite the absence of injuries amongst their midst, considering the Mariners are out of the AFC Cup this year already, Mohun Bagan is expected to field a weaker team against Bengaluru FC. These two teams meet again on 21st May in the Federation Cup final in Cuttack and Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen would want to keep his key players fresh and in-form for the Federation Cup final.

Head to Head

These two teams have faced each other 11 times till date, of which Mohun Bagan has won four compared to Bengaluru’s two. Rest of the five matches were drawn.

Men to watch

Sandesh Jhingan

The Indian defender has been a force to reckon with in this year’s AFC Cup. The 23-year-old has been given a more advanced role in Albert Roca’s gameplay this season, in which he not only has excelled but also has been influential in scoring goals. Jhingan offers a much-needed physicality in the defence as well as upfront in the Bengaluru FC squad. His vision and defending abilities make him the man to look out for against Mohun Bagan.

Balwant Singh

The veteran striker has been in red-hot form for some time now and is Mohun Bagan’s top scorer in the ongoing Federation Cup. Singh, who could not be a part of the Bagan squad last year due to injuries came back at the beginning of this season and since then, has been one of the key players for the Green and Maroons.

Recently, Balwant has made a name for himself as an impact player in the Bagan squad. The 31-year-old striker offers tricky movement both on and off the ball which makes him hard to mark for opposition defenders and his aerial ability also makes him a threat in front of the goal.

Probable line-ups

Bengaluru FC (4-3-3)

Amrinder, Jhingan, Johnson, Salam Ranjan, Nishu, Watson, Rodrigues, Lyngdoh, Udanta, Lalhlimpuia, Doungel.

Mohun Bagan (4-4-2)

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Shilton, Raju, Bikramjit, Kinshuk, Subhasish, Katsumi, Bikramjit, Sehnaj, Prabir, Jeje, Balwant.