ISL 2023-24: League Winners Shield on the line as Mumbai City FC takes on Mohun Bagan Super Giant in final league game

Mumbai City FC will face Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Monday, in a match that will straightaway determine the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 League Winners.

At the top of the table right now, Mumbai City FC has accumulated 47 points from 21 matches, having won all of its last five games.

It is closely trailed by Mohun Bagan Super Giant, who has 45 points from as many matches. A win here will take the Mariners to 48 points, helping it beat the Islanders to the title.

Similarly, a victory for the Islanders will ensure that it will lift the shield by a margin of five points. Even a draw will be insufficient for the Antonio Lopez Habas-coached side to finish atop the standings.

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Mumbai City FC has held the upper hand in most of its recent meetings against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. It has been unbeaten in its previous eight matches against the Mariners, having won six times and drawn twice in these games. The last time these two sides met was in December when eight-man Mumbai City FC beat nine-man Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-1 in a red-card-riddled match.

The situation in the league currently is starkly similar to ISL 2020-21. Even back then, the fight for the League Shield had gone to the final day of the league campaign, with the then Sergio Lobera-coached Mumbai City FC edging past Habas’ Mariners by 2-0 courtesy of first-half strikes by Mourtada Fall and Bartholomew Ogbeche.

Will the outcome on Monday be the same or can Habas inspire his side to come from behind and win the shield?