ISL 2023-24: What must Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City do to win League Shield?
The Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 league stage has reached its twilight and is set for a massive climax, with Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC set to battle it out for the League Shield in the final matchday on Monday.
Both teams have a lot riding on this clash. While Mumbai City will look to defend its League Shield title, defending ISL champion Mohun Bagan will look to clinch its maiden League Shield in front of home fans at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata.
With the contest perfectly poised to be a classic, Sportstar looks at what the teams need to do to win Shield.
What the teams need to do
The equation is simple for the Islanders – avoid defeat and defend the Shield. They have 47 points in 21 matches, while the Mariners have 45 points from the same number of outings. For the Mariners, it is a must-win match. If Mohun Bagan draws, it will reach 46 points, one less than Mumbai’s current tally.
Best defence vs best offence
What makes this Shield decider exciting is that the league’s best attack will go up against the league’s best defence. The Super Giant have scored 45 goals, the most out of any team this season. Mumbai City, on the other hand, has conceded just 17 – the lowest this season.
The Islanders have also been lethal in terms of attacking. With 41 goals, they are the second-highest-scoring team behind the Mariners.
What happened in the reverse fixture?
Mumbai City recorded a 2-1 win against Mohun Bagan when both teams faced each other last time in this season’s ISL. Greg Stewart and Bipin Singh found the net for the Islanders, while Jason Cummings scored the only goal for the Mariners.
The contest had a bitter conclusion, with seven red cards shown – Akash Mishra, Asish Rai, Liston Colaco, Stewart, Vikram Partap Singh, Hector Yuste and Rahul Bheke were the players, who saw red.