Bengaluru FC eye ISL crown in debut season
Sunil Chhetri’s BFC are gunning for glory against Chennaiyin at home
BANGALORE: Chennaiyin FC stand in the way as Bengaluru FC, the model club of Indian football, seek a triumphant conclusion to what has been a remarkable maiden campaign in the Indian Super League, here on Saturday. Having clinched the prestigious Federation Cup and I-League twice, Bengaluru will attempt to crown themselves with the ISL trophy before their home fans at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
After moving into ISL from I-League, Bengaluru have scripted a fairytale narrative, winning 13 of their 18 matches and qualifying for the play-offs with four games to spare. They were eight points clear of secondplaced Chennaiyin.
Miku and skipper Sunil Chhetri have got Bengaluru’s major chunk of the goals, bulging the net on 24 occasions, a feat which has the potential of sending shivers down the rivals’ spine. Miku stands second on highest goal-scorers’ list by scoring 14 and Chhetri stands fifth with 10 to his credit, which includes his fantastic hat-trick in the second leg semi-final against FC Pune City last week. Nishu Kumar, Udanta Singh and Erik Paartalu have been extremely good before their home fans.
Though Bengaluru may miss defender Harmanjot Khabra due to a rib injury that he has been nursing since February, chief coach Albert Roca still have a formidable defence to bank on. The list includes Spaniard Dimas Delgado, John Johnson, Juanan, Lenny Rodrigues, Rahul Bheke and Subashish Bose. Apart from possessing some top class strikers and effective midfielders, Bengaluru boast of having India’s No 1 goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in their ranks. Sandhu had been instrumental in bringing up some spectacular saves.
Despite only playing four seasons in the I-League, the club were considered one of the model clubs of Indian football.
Bengaluru drew praise for bringing a new sense of professionalism to Indian football, including the use of on field equipment meant to help player fitness. Roca would be expecting his players to execute ‘set-piece’ instructions to perfection and make his trusted deputy Carles Cuadrat a happy man at the end of the match. How Bengaluru bank on set-pieces is reflected in their opening two matches against Mumbai City and Dynamos. Three of the Blues’ goals in those two wins came from set-pieces.
On the other hand, Chennaiyin have done well this season to storm into the title clash. The visitors never looked like they would not qualify for the semifinal slot, but they had some anxious moments here and there. They ploughed their way back under the guidance of English coach John Gregory who has instilled a sense of belief into the squad.
Jeje Lalpekhlua has struck form at the right time when he scripted a brace against Goa FC in the second leg of the semifinal, helping Chennaiyiin to blaze through to the summit clash.
Jeje has scored nine goals this ISL after a harrowing time in some of the matches. Giving company to Jeje will be Raphael Augusto, who is a nightmare for defenders.
JEJE HAS SCORED NINE GOALS THIS ISL AFTER A HARROWING TIME IN SOME OF THE MATCHES. GIVING COMPANY TO JEJE WILL BE RAPHAEL AUGUSTO, WHO IS A NIGHTMARE FOR DEFENDERS.