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Eight exhilarating months have passed in the Indian Super League (ISL) season, and Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC have emerged as the final contenders for the crown. The two formidable teams are set to clash in the final at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday, May 4.
Just a couple of fortnights ago, the two teams competed for the ISL Shield as well, with Mohun Bagan winning the title in front of a packed Salt Lake Stadium. Mumbai City will have an eye on revenge, aiming to overthrow Bagan’s throne, which they secured last season after defeating Bengaluru FC.
In the semi-final clash, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, after a 2-1 defeat to Odisha FC in the first leg, mounted a dramatic comeback in the second leg, with Jason Cummings equalizing before Sahal Abdul Samad scored the winner in stoppage time.
In the other semi-final, FC Goa held a two-goal lead before Mumbai City FC staged a miraculous comeback, scoring three goals in stoppage time to secure an unlikely win in the first leg. They followed up with a comfortable 2-0 victory in Mumbai, clinching the tie 5-2 on aggregate.
Mohun Bagan and their head coach Antonio Habas have their sights set on winning a historic domestic treble if they win in the final. With this goal in mind, Habas believes they have the ambition to perform at their very best.
"I am satisfied with my team’s performance (so far), but I have one more point (to prove) tomorrow. We need to win. With due respect to the opponent, we need to have the ambition necessary for winning another time. I told the players we know how to win the league and the trophy and the goal tomorrow will be the same," he said in the pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Mumbai City head coach Petr Kratky believes that his team will need to make slight adjustments to their approach compared to the last time the two sides met.
"We need to approach the game a bit differently. Yes, because it’s a final, but also we learned from the previous game against Mohun Bagan. We started the last game a bit differently than we would’ve liked to, and they caught us at the end. Now, we’ll come here to play our football from the first minute. We’ll try to win in 90 minutes, but if goes on a bit longer the players are fit and ready," he explained.
Mohun Bagan SG vs Mumbai City FC: Head-to-head record
Matches played: 9
MBSG wins: 1
Draws: 2
MCFC wins: 6
Result in the previous fixture: Mohun Bagan SG 2-1 Mumbai City FC.
Head to head record this season: MBSG wins - 1, MCFC wins - 1, Draws - 0
Mohun Bagan SG vs Mumbai City FC: Top goalscorers in the 2023-24 ISL season
Mohun Bagan SG: Jason Cummings (11 goals in 22 games)
Mumbai City FC: Lallianzuala Chhangte (10 goals in 24 games)
Mohun Bagan SG vs Mumbai City FC: Stats and numbers from the 2023-24 Indian Super League season
Most saves: Vishal Kaith (49), Phurba Lachenpa (37)
Most assists: Manvir Singh (7), Lallianzuala Chhangte (6)
Most shots per 90 minutes: Armando Sadiku (4.2), Lallianzuala Chhangte (2.8)
Most clearances: Hector Yuste (81), Tiri (81)
