| Indian Super League | |
| MATCH INFO | |
MATCH :
| East Bengal V/s Mohun Bagan
|
COMPETITION : | Round 5
|
| DATE: | 19-10-2024
|
TIME:
| 7:30 PM IST (UTC +5:30)
|
STADIUM:
| Salt Lake Stadium
|
| East Bengal | Lineup |
Possible XI: Vishal Kaith (GK); Asish Rai, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose; Anirudh Thapa, Lalengmawia Ralte, Manvir Singh; Greg Stewart, Jamie Maclaren. | |
| Mohun Bagan | Lineup |
Possible XI: Debjit Majumder (GK); Mohammad Rakip, Anwar Ali, Hector Yuste, Provat Lakra; Jeakson Singh, Saul Crespo, Souvik Chakrabarti; Madih Talal, Nandhakumar Sekar, Dimitrios Diamantakos. | |
Preview: East Bengal Vs Mohun Bagan
East Bengal: East Bengal have had the worst possible start to the 2024-25 ISL campaign and are the only team to have lost all four matches so far. Things are just not going their way, as they’ve lacked that cutting-edge nature in the attack and been defensively sloppy. Bino George needs to work with his squad before the derby but has to make a few necessary tweaks so that they can handle themselves much better against Mohun Bagan.
He needs to ensure that their defensive shape is better. He’ll have them take the fight to Mohun Bagan and try to be especially dangerous on the swift transitional breaks. It’s not a case of East Bengal having ‘nothing to lose’ in the derby because this fixture is a matter of pride.
A draw can be a decent result for East Bengal, while a win can rapidly improve his side’s momentum and energy levels. But another damning defeat can take the team morale to an all-time low and move them further behind in the playoff race.
East Bengal: The Mariners were able to at least head into the October international break with a big 3-0 win in the mini-Kolkata derby against Mohammedan SC. Now it’s time for them to prove that they can do the same in the more prominent derby. The Mariners have shown sparks of fiery form at the Salt Lake Stadium this season, but consistency is the name of the game if they aspire to compete for the ISL league championship.
Molina recognizes that East Bengal are in shaky form, but will urge his side to improve their overall defensive qualities to keep any surprises from popping up. He’ll, of course, have his side play on the front foot and look to create some beautiful moves with fast-paced and well-linked attacking patterns.
Another big win can not only help Mohun Bagan move up the ISL table, but significantly improve the players’ belief of competing for the top spot. But if they’re held to another draw or defeated, then the confidence levels will spiral down again and cause even more frustration all around.
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About Indian Super League:
History
The Indian Super League (ISL) is the highest level of the men's Indian football league system. Administered by the AIFF and its commercial partner FSDL, the league is currently contested by 13 clubs.
The season runs from September to March and includes a 24-round regular season followed by playoffs involving the top six teams, culminating with the ISL Final to determine the ISL Cup winners. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is declared the ISL champions and presented with the League Winners' Shield. Until 2021–22 season, the ISL Cup winners were designated as champions but later from 2022–23 season, the champions design was given to table toppers instead of playoff champions.
Currently, the league only follows promotion in the promotion and registration processes. ISL clubs qualify for the Asian continental club competitions; League Shield winners qualify directly for the next season's AFC Champions League Two group stage.
The competition was founded on 21 October 2013 to grow the sport of football in India and increase its exposure in the country. Play began in October 2014 with eight teams. During its first three seasons, the competition operated without official recognition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the governing body for the sport in Asia. It was structured along the same lines as the Indian Premier League, the country's premier Twenty20 franchise-based cricket competition. Each season lasted just three months, from October to December, and matches were held daily. However, before the 2017-18 season, the league expanded to ten teams, expanded its schedule to six months, and earned recognition from the AFC. Two of India's most historic clubs - Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, also joined the ISL. With ATK disbanding, the 2020–21 season had 11 clubs competing.
The ISL attained the sole top-tier league status from the 2022–23 season with the I-League demoted to the second tier. The 2023–24 season saw a promoted team from the I-League participating in the ISL for the first time ever. Punjab FC, as the 2022–23 I-League champions, became the 12th team in the league. The following year, Mohammedan SC joined the league as the 13th club as champions of the I-League.
Since the league's inaugural season, six clubs have won the ISL Cup title: ATK (3), Chennaiyin (2), Mumbai City (2), Bengaluru (1), Hyderabad (1) and Mohun Bagan (1).
Since the introduction of the League Winners' Shield in the 2019–20 season, Mumbai City has won it twice, while FC Goa, Jamshedpur FC and Mohun Bagan have won it one time each.
