Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC swept the Indian Super League honours last season with the Mariners and the Islanders opening the 2024-25 campaign with a blockbuster clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata on Friday.
The last game of the ISL 2023-24 season league phase ended with the MBSG-MCFC clash with Mohun Bagan bagging the League Shield as Mumbai City clinched the ISL 10 Cup in their repeat clash.
MCFC had won the League Shield and MBSG the Cup in 2022-23, while in the 2020-21 season, The Islanders had won the League Shield and Cup double, beating the Mariners to both titles.
Hence the two clubs have developed a fierce rivalry on the pitch and begin the new season as title favourites yet again.
Mohun Bagan SG head coach Jose Molina though is not ready to put more importance to the game against Mumbai City than any other in the league.
“For me, the most special match is the next match we’ll play. The next game is Mumbai, that is the most special match. I’m not thinking of future matches against rivals. In this moment, I’m only thinking of Mumbai City but overall to help my players play in the best way to win against Mumbai. When the match is finished, we’ll analyse the match and will work to think about the next game. That’s my mentality, that’s what I’ve talked about a long time and that is how I’ll work,” Molina said at the pre-match press conference at the Mohun Bagan Ground on Thursday.
Petr Kratky, on the other hand, is looking forward to testing his side against the ‘best’ in the league.
“We are looking forward to kicking off the ISL season, and what better way to start than against Mohun Bagan? We know that Mohun Bagan is a strong opposition, but I think we are ready to compete with them. We are ready, and our preparation was very good. We are a club that is striving to be at the top, we want to win the games and competitions we compete in, and the first game will tell us where we stand as compared to some of the best in the country,” Kratky said ahead of the match.
Unlike their last two encounters, a title or trophy may not be on the line but all three points to kick off the season could go a long way in deciding the direction of the championship come the end of the season.
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