In the repeat of the 2023 ISL Cup final, League Shield winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant face trophy-chasing Bengaluru FC at the showpiece at Salt Lake with both aiming for their second cup honour.
MBG vs BEN Match Details
Date: Saturday, 12 April 2025
Time: 19:30 (IST)
Venue: Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata
MBG vs BEN Match Preview
Just like last season, Mohun Bagan made a stunning comeback in the semifinal second leg at home overturning a 2-1 first-leg deficit to win 3-2 on aggregate. Jason Cummings scored the leveller in the tie from the spot after a goalless first half and Apuia scored a stunning winner with just minutes left on the clock to put the Mariners in their third straight ISL final, fourth overall since joining the league in 2020. It was another incredible campaign for the Kolkata giants as they became the first side to defend the League Shield successfully and get to the ISL Cup final with another former title-winning coach on the hot seat. Jose Molina will hope to be the first coach to win a Shield and Cup double for the Mariners after the side failed to do so in the previous season, losing 3-1 to Mumbai City FC at Salt Lake despite beating the same opponents to the League Shield on home turf. The venue will once again host the ISL final owing to Mohun Bagan finishing first again and they will take on the opponents they beat two years ago to lift their first ISL trophy of any sort, Bengaluru FC. Undoubtedly, success in the final in front of their fans will make it the best season the club have ever had in the division gifting Molina his second ISL cup crown leveling with former boss Antonio Lopez Habas.
Bengaluru FC had to wait until the end of the second leg to secure their place in the final, as FC Goa managed to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg. This led to a dramatic moment when talisman Sunil Chhetri scored a stoppage-time header, allowing Bengaluru FC to progress with a 3-2 aggregate win. The Blues were initially the top team in the ISL this season but a second-half slump with a winless January derailed their chances of winning the Shield, ending in third with 18 points off the top. However, Gerard Zaragoza has shown a resurgence in their form in the playoffs helping them to a fourth ISL final appearance. The 2018-19 cup winners will want to repeat the feat to conclude the campaign with a trophy which will be a reward for their positive work this campaign. The task cannot be any more difficult as they face the Shield winners at Salt Lake, where the Green and Maroons have not lost this season, against whom they were beaten in the 2023 ISL Cup final on penalties and lost eight of the 11 ISL meetings. The Blues will take inspiration from the 3-0 success in this fixture last year amid their defensive troubles to produce resistance even though it was a completely different Mohun Bagan back then.
Recent Form
MBG: WWWLW
BEN: DLWWL
MBG vs BEN Predicted Lineups
Mohun Bagan Super Giant
Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose; Manvir Singh, Apuia, Deepak Tangri, Liston Colaco; Jason Cummings; Jamie Maclaren
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh; Namgyal Bhutia, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana, Roshan; Alberto Noguera, Pedro Capo, Suresh Wangjam; Sunil Chhetri; Jorge Diaz, Edgar Mendez
MBG vs BEN Head-to-head (all competitions)
Played - 27
MBG won - 15
Drawn - 6
BEN won - 6
MBG vs BEN Head-to-head (ISL)
Played - 11
MBG won - 8
Drawn - 1
BEN won - 2
MBG vs BEN Dream11 Prediction
In front of rousing home support, Mohun Bagan should be able to finish the task of completing the double they failed last season despite Bengaluru FC posing a threat in their attack. The Mariners have been the best team this season and they will want to end it on the same vibe. We predict a 2-1 win for Jose Molina’s men.
MBG vs BEN Dream11 Team Top picks
Captain Pick: Jason Cummings
Vice-captain Pick: Sunil Chhetri
MBG vs BEN Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Kaith (Cr - 8, Pts - 330)
DEF: Roshan (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 208), Alberto (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 471), Bose (Cr - 9, Pts - 489)
MID: Manvir (Cr - 8, Pts - 190), Noguera (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 154), Apuia (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 208), Colaco (Cr - 8, Pts - 308)
FW: Mendez (Cr - 8, Pts - 264), Chhetri (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 217), Cummings (Cr - 8.5, Pts - 324)
Vice-captain: Sunil Chhetri
Captain: Jason Cummings
