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The action gets hotter in Kalinga as the two new Indian champions take the field on Sunday evening. Mohun Bagan will challenge Bengaluru FC in the glamorous fixture while Pune City will have a task against the new I-League champions Chennai City.
Mohun Bagan is undoubtedly one of India's most prominent football clubs ever. However, the recent dip in form for Bagan has hurt them badly. While their arch-rivals East Bengal nearly got their hands on the I-League trophy, Bagan had to finish 5th on the table. This would be the opportunity for Khalid Jamil to take back the club to its golden days.
Mohun Bagan, who last won a National competition in 2015-16 (Federation Cup) will be considering the Super Cup as a chance to get past the deadlock. But, things wouldn't be easy for The Mariners while fighting with the ISL champions.
Bengaluru FC had a great season in the ISL, taking revenge for the trophy they lost last season. With a record of 6 trophies from 6 seasons, BFC's new objective would be to have more trophies than the number of seasons.
The champion run had many lessons for the new coach Carles Cuadrat. Cuadrat adapted well with the position and made the maximum use of the sharp heads in his camp. After a hard-fought ISL, the Super Cup might not be an equal challenge for Bengaluru. However, the knockouts would be crucial and the gaffer wouldn't be taking any game lightly.
Pune City has some good news before their Super Cup campaign kicks-off, in the form of Phil Brown's contract extension. Even after a dismal start to the season with Miguel Angel Portugal's departure, Pune regrouped well under Pradhyum Reddy. Later, Phil Brown's appointment made things better for the Punekars, but not enough to reach where they wanted to. Pune City finished ISL 5 at the 7th position, with 22 points.
At present, Pune City can't be taken lightly even by the I-League champions. They now have a well-organized lineup to offer trouble to the champions. It wouldn't be an easy outing for Chennai City at Bhubaneswar.
Chennai City, on the other hand, would be coming with their head held high. They were crowned champions after a nail-biting finish with East Bengal. The 3-1 win against Minerva Punjab on the last match-day gifted them their first ever I-League trophy. The season went well and according to the plans under Akbar Nawaz. Without a fall in the morale and confidence, Chennai City would be aiming at the second cup of the season. If Nawaz can repeat the magic he worked out for the last few months, Super Cup 2019 is not far from Chennai.
Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC: Match Information
Date: 31 March 2019
Kickoff: 5:00 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar
Pune City vs Chennai City: Match Information
Date: 31 March 2019
Kickoff: 8:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar
Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC: Team News
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan is coming without any injuries and will have their complete squad from I-League for Super Cup.
Bengaluru FC
Spanish midfielder Luis Lopez is not part of the BFC squad. All other players from the ISL final, including the foreign players, will be available for Cuadrat.
Pune City vs Chennai City: Team News
Pune City
Pune City does not have any absences from their squad.
Chennai City
Chennai City has their whole squad from the I-League campaign available for selection.
Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC: Probable Lineups
Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1): Sankar Roy, Arijit Bagui, Lalchawnkima, Kingsley Obumneme, Abhishek Ambekar, Sourav Das, Shilton D'Silva, Sheikh Faiaz, Lalramzauva Khiangte, Sony Norde, Aser Dipanda
Bengaluru FC (4-2-3-1): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Harmanjot Khabra, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Nishu Kumar, Alex Barrera, Dimas Delgado, Udanta Singh, Xisco Hernandez, Sunil Chhetri, Miku
Pune City vs Chennai City: Probable Lineups
Pune City (3-4-3): Kamaljit Singh, Gurtej Singh, Matt Mills, Sarthak Golui, Marko Stankovic, Adil Khan, Lalchhuanmawia Fanai, Rohit Kumar, Nikhil Poojary, Iain Hume, Robin Singh,
Chennai City (4-2-3-1): Mauro Boerchio, Edwin Vanspaul, Tarif Akhand, Gaurav Bora, Ajith Kumar, Michael Regin, Sri Ram, Alexander Jesuraj, Sandro Rodríguez, Jozef Kapláň, Pedro Manzi
Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC: Key Players
Mohun Bagan
Sony Norde will have the duty to unsettle the Bengaluru FC midfield and get behind the crucial balls coming into the final third.
Bengaluru FC
Sunil Chhetri will do similar duties for BFC, extending dangerous balls into the box for Miku to deal with.
Pune City vs Chennai City: Key Players
Pune City
Iain Hume will be the most crucial presence on the field for Pune City. If the Canadian attacker is on one of his good days, Chennai City will have a lot of work to do.
Chennai City
Pedro Manzi, Chennai City's most faithful striker will be in-charge of scoring goals once again. For Pune to keep the scoreboard nil, Manzi will have to be tightly marked.
Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC: Predictions
It might be Bengaluru FC walking into the tunnel with the final smile.
Predicted Score - Mohun Bagan 1:3 Bengaluru FC
Pune City vs Chennai City: Predictions
Chennai City has a better chance of advancing to the next round of the tournament.
Predicted Score - Pune City 0:2 Chennai City
