After a close and chaotic victory against Bengaluru FC at home, Mohun Bagan will return to the AFC Cup to play their first home game of the group stage. The table toppers are looking for a no-nonsense victory against a motivated Maziya side.
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| Courtesy : MBSG Media |
Mohun Bagan comes into this continental clash after a chaotic and breathtaking victory against a defensively strong Bengaluru FC, with the brilliance of Hugo Boumous and a decent start by the rest. It doesn't set any standards but Juan Ferrando and his boys show they know how to remove the parked bus and open the deadlock.
Bagan will face a familiar crest and playing style of Maziya, as in the last AFC Cup game of the green boys they only recorded 26% of ball possession creating a deadlock within the D-box against Basundhara Kings. They will create the same problems for Juan and his boys that BFC created for them. Maziya does not have the quality or depth which Mohun Bagan has so they have to adopt this 'Park the Bus' strategy. They did look quite lethal and it got them results against a fairly strong Basundhara side.
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| Courtesy : Asian Football Confederation |
Mohun Bagan are quite the favourites for this match for obvious reasons but Juan Ferrando is not leaving any stones untouched as he is treating every opponent equally lethal in their own way. Dominance is the only key to getting through this AFC Cup South zone, as only one team can qualify from here for the knockout stage.
With all said, Maziya and their Bosnian manager Milomir Šešlija should receive respect as before even an AFC Cup match ball rolled, the Bangladeshi media made Basundhara Kings the winner of the match. If the Mariners don't underestimate them and play with them like any other strong team from Asia, a scoreline against Odisha FC can be replicated tomorrow.
It’s time to hear that beautiful AFC anthem again and it’s important to keep the momentum which we created in Kalinga and show the rest of Group F that they’re fighting for second place.
Let's Roll..........
Previous Encounters between Mohun Bagan SG and Maziya Sports and Recreation
AFC Cup 2022: Mohun Bagan SG 5-2 Maziya SR&C
AFC Cup 2021: Maziya SR&C 1-3 Mohun Bagan SG
AFC Cup 2017: Maziya SR&C 5-2 Mohun Bagan SG
AFC Cup 2017: Mohun Bagan SG 0-1 Maziya SR&C
AFC Cup 2016: Mohun Bagan SG 5-2 Maziya SR&C
Prediction: If Mohun Bagan scores before 30 minutes a score of 3-0 or 4-0 can be expected but if the deadlock remains after halftime the match can end with a 1-0 or 2-1 win for Mohun Bagan
Possible Line-ups:
Mohun Bagan SG: Vishal Kaith (GK), Subhasish Bose (C), Hector Yuste, Brandon Hamill, Anwar Ali, Anirudh Thapa, Liston Colaco, Dimitrios Petratos, Sahal Abdul Samad, Hugo Boumous, Jason Cummings
Maziya Sports and Recreation: Shareef(GK), Shifaz, Jocic, Antic, Gamal, Obeng, Wadia, Aisham, Raif, Mofamed (C), Balabanovic