After a stunning Kolkata Derby and Durand Cup victory, the Mariners are back from the International break to play one of the toughest sides from the AFC Cup South zone in an all-Indian clash with Odisha FC. This match will be a huge test for Juan Ferrando and his boys as they will play their first away game in Kalinga Stadium this season right after the International break.
A majority of the Indian roster of the team went to the International break, the initial pace and chemistry will fluctuate. Juan Ferrando will miss both the Captain Subhashish Bose and Ashique Kuruniyan. Captain Bose suffered a minor toe injury in the Practise on Saturday & Ashique suffered a serious ACL injury while playing for Indian National Team, so the International break has left quite the mark on squad build-up problems. Also, this is the opening match for the Mariners for the AFC Cup. Keeping it in mind it is an away game, the stakes are quite high for Juan Ferrando to kickstart this journey with a comfortable win.
Juan Ferrando is very determined to win each and everything this season whether it is the Domestic trophies or the International one. They already have proven themselves by winning the Durand Cup despite the team having chemistry and pre-season issues more than a month ago this same team lost to a Lacklustre Emami East Bengal FC but just things went out of hands Juan Ferrando took things into his own hands and won the Durand cup in a Dominating style.
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| Courtesy: Indian Super League |
But all things are meant to be forgotten when it is a Continental stage and the stakes where the stakes are quite high. One bad step out of sheer overconfidence can lead to another Tragic experience like the group opener with Gokulam Kerala in the AFC Cup 2022 edition. Odisha FC, who got a major revamp both in squad and management, are quite the tough nut to crack in these types of competitions as we have already seen them winning the Super Cup 2023. This is the first away game for Juan Ferrando and his boys so it will initially be challenging for the new surroundings.
With Sergio Lobera in charge of Odisha FC, his unreal mentality and trust in his players make him a strong manager. He already installed the winning mentality within the already star-studded squad of FC Goa and Mumbai City FC in his previous stints in India resulting in practically winning everything in hand he wanted. With new quality 2signings with the likes of Ex Mohun Bagan Forward Roy Krishna, CDM Ahmed Jahouh, CB Amey Ranawade, CB Mourtada Fall, and Asian Singing Cy Godard they are not here to play around.
On paper, this group should be easy for the Mariners, as the quality and the portfolio of players they hold is unmatched in this group. But as only group toppers can qualify for the Inter-zonal Semi-Finals, any mistake can lead to losing the top spot. It is still anyone's group for now.
Let's Roll
Previous Encounters between Mohun Bagan SG and Odisha FC:
2022/23 ISL: MBSG 2-0 Odisha FC
2022/23 ISL: Odisha FC 0-2 MBSG
2021/22 ISL: MBSG 0-0 Odisha FC
2021/22 ISL: Odisha FC 1-1 MBSG
Prediction: As this is the first away game for the Mariners, the new signings are still settling for the environment, a close encounter can be expected but a victory of 2-1 or 1-0 can be assured if all things go to plan for Juan Ferrando.
Possible Line-ups:
Mohun Bagan SG : Vishal Kaith (GK), Ashish Rai, Hector Yuste, Brandon Hamill, Anwar Ali, Anirudh Thapa, Liston Colaco, Dimitrios Petratos, Sahal Abdul Samad, Hugo Boumous, Jason Cummings
Odisha FC : Amrinder Singh (GK), Amey Ranwade, Mourtada Fall, Narendar Gehlot, Sahil Panwar, Ahmed Jahouh, Lenny Rodrigues, Puitea, Roy Krishna, Diego, Jerry
Kick OFF: 19th Sept'23 ; 7:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Sports 18 (TV) and Fancode (OTT)
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India