Kolkata, April 6: Hosts Mohun Bagan Super Giant will have their task cut out as they look to overturn a one-goal deficit against Jamshedpur FC in their second leg semi-final of the Indian Super League here on Monday.
Jamshedpur FC will enter Mohun Bagan SG’s bastion — Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) — with a 2-1 aggregate advantage after the Khalid Jamil-coached side snapped MBSG’s six-game unbeaten streak against the Red Miners.
The League Shield winners will be drawing confidence from their impeccable home record though, having not given away a goal in any of their previous six games at the stadium.They will have to extend that streak to overturn the deficit and find a place in the summit clash for the third year running.
MBSG, however, have lost three of their last four playoff games in the ISL, including each of their last two. They had faced defeats in only two of their first nine playoff matches before this patch began; a promising run of form they will seek to regain starting from this game.
Having scored 21 goals from set-pieces this season, which is the most ever by a team in a single ISL campaign, Mohun Ba;gan Super Giant’s mastery from dead-ball situations could be instrumental in dissecting Jamshedpur FC’s backline.
Jamshedpur FC have scored multiple goals in each of their last four ISL games, which is their second-best such streak ever. However, they have never netted more than once in consecutive games against MBSG before, and an alert home side defence will be eager to sustain that record.
While their attacking form has been inspiring, the Red Miners have conceded a league-high 23 goals in the first half. Jamil will push his team to shore up defensively early on to avoid conceding their aggregate advantage.Mohun Bagan Super Giant head coach Jose Molina brought the focus to the core objective from the coming match: to progress into the finals. (PTI)
