Once again, the pot-boiling drama of the Indian Super League has now reached its final stage. Against all the odds, both the teams that finished in the top two positions and had qualified for the semi-final directly, are now out of the competition. Defending champions Hyderabad FC and Shield winners Mumbai City FC paved way for ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC respectively, who will battle each other for the ultimate title.
ATK Mohun Bagan had a good start to their campaign as they lost only one of their first five matches while winning three games against Kerala Blasters, ATK Mohun Bagan, and NorthEast United. After a 0-3 drubbing against Goa, Juan Ferrando’s team turned things around quickly once again with a streak of four unbeaten games.
However, the turn of December brought misfortune for them as they won only one of their next four matches, while also suffering defeats against NorthEast United. Since the beginning of the year, their form has been shaky and unpredictable. Nobody could’ve seen when the goals would come and when they would dry up, thus making it very difficult for the manager to stick with one line up.
Though they bounced back with a 2-0 win over Odisha, the Mariners’ train was once again stopped in its tracks when Bengaluru handed them a 2-1 defeat in the last match. Dimitri Petrotas has been in terrific goal-scoring touch and he scored both the goals in that 2-0 win against Odisha, but that game ended with a red card for Ashique Kuruniyan, which left them dented for the game against the high-flying Bengaluru contingent, who managed to win their fifth game on the trot.
Speaking on the upcoming challenge at home, which will be their final home game of this season, head coach Juan Ferrando said, “In the last few games, they [Bengaluru FC] have been very good and have played confidently. On the field, they look like a proper team. It will be very important to control this game from the start. The focus, as always, is on our team, and we have faith in our plan,” said Ferrando.
ATK Mohun Bagan enter this contest on the back of four successive wins for the team, which should keep them confident of breezing through. In the playoff fixture, they breezed past Odisha FC quite smoothly, with goals coming from their stalwart players Hugo Boumous and Dimitri Petratos. The worry for Ferrando will be that their last defeat in ISL came against Bengaluru FC, at this very ground, when their former player Roy Krishna scored a stunning late winner. They will be desperate to keep the striker on hold.
As for Bengaluru, who would’ve imagined this incredible run resulting in such a threatening image for the club after a catastrophic start? But the Blues have turned things around and are on a sensational winning streak, winning all of their matches since the turn of the year. Their last defeat in the ISL came against East Bengal away from home on December 30 when they travelled there without much to take away.
Since then, they have been scoring goals pretty well and are on the rise defensively as well. Grayson’s men have put barely any foot wrong for a period of three months, which is commendable and impressive as they now look to steer Bengaluru into the final again, to win their second ISL title, something they are entirely capable of as it stands.
Head coach Simon Grayson has used Sunil Chhetri as an impact substitute and in the last five games, the 38-year-old has come on to score vital goals on three occasions. Grayson will likely field an unchanged XI in the final with Chhetri on the bench, while Roy Krishna and Sivasakthi Narayanan – who assisted their only goal last game – could start.
“Leaving someone of his quality, experience and professionalism out is a really tough decision. But as a coach, regardless if it’s Sunil Chhetri or Rohit Kumar, I have to make what I think is the right decision,” said Grayson. “[ATKMB] are defensively very solid, they have some good defenders, and good competition for places. We will respect the opposition but I’m sure they’ll know that we have some decent players in our team. Hopefully when we’re talking after the game, it will have been a great advert for the ISL and Indian football,” he added.
BFC vs ATKMB, ISL 2022/23
Date: March 18, 2023
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Fatorda Stadium, Goa
FORM GUIDE:
Bengaluru FC form:
L-W-W-W-W
ATK Mohun Bagan FC form:
W-W-L-D-W
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
ATK Mohun Bagan FC wins: 4
Draws: 1
Bengaluru FC wins: 2
TEAM NEWS:
Bengaluru FC team news:
The side from Karnataka finished in the top six by a whisker and were really helped by the experience of Javi Hernandez throughout the campaign. Despite some news about an injury to the player, he is expected to appear in the first leg in Mumbai. Sivasakthi Narayanan is their leading goal-scorer right now and has been chipping in with some clutch goals that kept the Kanteerava Stadium on their feet. He currently has six goals to his credit.
Roy Krishna also smashed five goals and has the experience of winning big games at this stage formerly with ATK Mohun Bagan. If he is one of the players chipping in with the goals, there should be very little surprises.
ATK Mohun Bagan team news:
For Mohun Bagan, Ferrando is also expected to make changes to his starting XI after a disappointing loss against Bengaluru, but these changes are likely to bring him relief. Two of the Mariners’ most reliable players, Boumous and Ashique Kuruniyan will be available for selection after serving their respective suspensions.
Hugo Boumous, the greatest assist-maker in the tournament history, is set to return to replace Uruguayan midfielder Federico Gallego, who arrived with a great reputation but has not lived up to it. On the other hand, Kuruniyan could replace Manvir Singh, with Liston Colaco being switched to the right flank.
Bengaluru FC possible starting lineup:
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Prabir Das, Sandesh Jhingan, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Bruno Ramires, Naorem Roshan Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Javi Hernandez, Roy Krishna, Sivasakthi Narayanan
ATK Mohun Bagan FC possible starting lineup:
Vishal Kaith (GK); Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal, Brendan Hamill, Subhasish Bose; Glan Martins, Carl McHugh; Manvir Singh, Hugo Boumous, Liston Colaco, Dimitri Petratos
Predictions:
Nobody expected at the halfway stage that these two teams will be taking on each other for the title. That’s how unpredictable this tournament is and it continues to mesmerise the fans. It gets even more difficult for those watching to make any predictions, as the ISL always comes up with something unthinkable. Both these sides are also the most in-form teams, but Bengaluru’s run of wins has continued for a longer duration despite them losing the second leg.
Bengaluru did allow Mumbai City to creep in during the second half, which led to the match heading to penalties but ATK Mohun Bagan do not possess the same level of attack. Mohun Bagan’s strength lies in their defensive coordination, which was impeccable against Hyderabad FC across both the legs of the semi-final where they did not concede a single goal.
Our prediction is for Bengaluru FC to pip their opponents and pick up their second ISL title.
