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Mohun Bagan Super Giant have the chance to become the first team in Indian Super League history to defend the ISL League Shield with a win over Odisha FC.
ISL 2024-25: Mohun Bagan Super Giant have the chance to win the League Shield todefend their title (FSDL)
Mohun Bagan Super Giant are on the threshold of history.
No other team in the history of the Indian Super League (ISL) has successfully managed to defend the ISL League Shield Winners title. The Mariners had needed a home win in the last game of the last season, but this time around they are at the top of the points table with 49 points from 21 games and need to win just one more game to be the first to defend the title.
In their way are Odisha FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata on Sunday.
Second-placed FC Goa has 41 points from 21 matches and can reach 51 points if they manage to win all of their remaining games. Mohun Bagan with a win over Odisha FC will reach 52 and guarantee the championship.
The two teams have faced each other 12 times in the competition, with Mohun Bagan Super Giant winning five times and Odisha FC emerging victorious once. Six matches had produced draws.
Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina is not counting his eggs before they hatch.
“We are not in a position to relax. We need to go out there and keep fighting in every game,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.
As for Mohun Bagan’s opponents, Molina is not taking Odisha lightly.
“I respect them. They are a very good team and always difficult to win here (Kolkata) against any team, in any stadium. I know it’s not going to be easy to win tomorrow. We have to fight, we have to work a lot, and we have to do it really well. With our fans, our crowd pushing us, I hope we can do a good job,” he added.
Star forward Jamie Maclaren too is cautiously optimistic but revealed the players’ plans for celebrations if and when they do win.
“If we are to be successful tomorrow (Sunday) night and we still have one (game) five days later. So there really will be no celebration. There might be a couple, you know, drinks in terms of Gatorade in the dressing room and a little bit of the celebration,” he joked.
The reverse fixture saw a 1-1 stalemate between the sides at the Kalinga Stadium, and Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera is more than glad to play the role of party pooper in Kolkata.
“We are in a positive mood. The past is the past, but we achieved something very important last season, and hopefully, we can replicate that. It’s the kind of game every player and every coach wants to be part of,” Lobera was quoted as saying in the pre-match press conference in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
In head-to-heads, Mohun Bagan hold the edge over Odisha, winning five of their twelve past meetings, with the Juggernauts registering just the one victory.
Seventh-placed Odisha have their own battles as the race for play-offs heats up. With 29 points from 21 games, they need to secure wins in their last three games and hope results go in their favour in other matches.
History shows that Odisha FC have never beaten Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, and it will take a historic win to stop the Mariners from making history.
