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The inaugural edition of the Hero Indian Super Cup has been nothing short of amplifying in terms of competition and the beautiful display of football. Be it a shower of red cards, or half-time brawls, the Super Cup has covered it all.
The replacement of the Federations Cup has now reached an interesting mark, as the winner of this nerve cracking contest between Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan will face East Bengal in the final match of the tournament.
The second semi-final game of the knockout competition is all set to kick off at the Kalinga Stadium of Odisha, and it will be a reunion of sorts as the Mariners will take the stage against their former I-League opponents, Bengaluru FC. Will Bengaluru FC be able to reach yet another final this season, or will the fans relish a Kolkata derby?
Bengaluru FC
Plenty has certainly changed since the two arch rivals faced each other. Bengaluru FC made their debut playing top-tier football in the Indian Super League (ISL), while on the other hand, Mohun Bagan carried on in the I-League, as they missed out on the title to underdogs Minerva Punjab.
BFC had a splendid run throughout their ISL season, topping the league table with forty points (eight ahead of champions Chennaiyin FC), but lost out in the finals.
To help soothe the wounds from the ISL final loss versus Chennayin, the Southern Eagles will be determined to overpower Mohun Bagan to face East Bengal in the final of the Super Cup on April 20, 2018.
Having scored a hattrick against NEROCA FC, Sunil Chhetri seems to be in brilliant form. The Bagan back line must be on full guard, as the Indian captain will be certain to have his name registered on the scoresheet as the action unfolds.
The anticipation is sure going through the roof, and it will be interesting to see which of the two proceeds into the finals and gets an inch closer to the Super Cup.
Here is how BFC could line up for their big game versus Bagan: Sandhu, Nishu, Johnson, Juanan, Khabra, Lenny, Erik, Alonso, Udanta, Miku, Chhetri.
Mohun Bagan
Sankar Lal Chakraborty instructed Mohun Bagan, on their day, can be a handful for any opposition. The Mariners have been impressive through their Super Cup campaign as they overpowered Churchill Brothers with two goals to one during the initial stages of the competition. To follow that stellar display of resilience, the Mariners beat Shillong Lajong 3-1 in the quarters.
Their meeting against Bengaluru FC will be the first time that Mohun Bagan will be facing a team from the Indian Super League, and more than anything, this is bound to be an ego battle between the ISL and I-League tags.
Mohun Bagan could probably line up like this against BFC: Shilton, Gurjinder, Kingsley, Kinshuk, Bagui, Faiaz, Watson, Kadam, Fernandes, Dipanda, Akram.
Prediction
Bengaluru FC 2 – 1 Mohun Bagan
Having lost out on the ISL trophy, Bengaluru will leave no stone unturned to ensure their spot into the finale of the Indian Super Cup. However, they will have to put up a tough fight against their old foes, as they statistics are in favour of the Kolkata giants.
The West Block Blues and the Mariners will be expected to show up in full forces to back their respective teams. However, a Kolkata derby for an inaugural finale of the tournament wouldn't hurt anybody!
