Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24: Odisha FC eye redemption against Mohun Bagan in semifinals

Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC will take on former winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the first leg of their semifinal encounter of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 at the Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday. Redemption will be high on the minds of Odisha players as they have never beaten Mohun Bagan Super Giant in ISL thus strengthening the desire to halt their MBSG juggernaut in the competition.

The Mariners qualified for the last four stage by virtue of emerging as the ISL 2023-24 Champions courtesy of finishing at the top of the points table at the end of the league stages.

On the other hand, Odisha FC edged past Kerala Blasters FC in the playoffs to make it to the semifinal. Both these teams have squared off multiple times this season, both in the ISL as well as the AFC Cup where they were pitted in the same group.

The Juggernauts will take confidence from having optimised their home advantage against the Yellow Army in the previous match, hoping for a similar outcome this time around.

Similarly, Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be riding high on confidence after they beat Mumbai City FC in the title-winning clash at the Salt Lake Stadium last week. They will be raring to take on an Odisha FC unit that has historically not fared well against them in the ISL.

For a large portion of the season, Odisha FC were in the reckoning for the top two positions in the table. However, they didn’t enter the playoffs with a good run of results behind them, hence settling for the fourth spot in the standings with 39 points to their name.

Contrastingly, the Mariners produced a late surge, taking Mumbai City FC heads on, winning four out of their last five games to edge past the Islanders and emerge as the ISL 2023-24 League Winners in an emphatic fashion in their home ground on the final day of the league stages. (IANS)

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