Bengaluru: Having started the Indian Super League (ISL) season on a sanguine note with home wins over East Bengal and Hyderabad FC, Bengaluru FC come up against a star-studded Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday.
Mohun Bagan have shown signs of defensive frailties, as evidenced by them allowing in four goals from their two matches - a 2-2 draw against Mumbai City and a comeback 3-2 win against NorthEast United.
The Mariners have recourse to their vaunted front-line against a hitherto resolute Bengaluru FC defence, which is yet to concede a goal. Forwards Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings and Jamie Maclaren all pose unique challenges, while the ensemble of Indian attackers features Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco.
The key battle will be in the midfield, where the Blues have appeared to be in control. However, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Pedro Capo and Alberto Noguera will be up against their biggest test yet in the form of Greg Stewart, Lalengmawia Ralte and Anirudh Thapa.
Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza felt that the result could hinge on who dominates the midfield.
"They (Mohun Bagan) normally mark us man to man. They have great Indian players on the pitch, and so do we. It will be a battle in the midfield and whoever wins that battle, wins the game," Zaragoza said during the pre-match press conference on Friday.
The overall head-to-head favours the Mariners, who have won their last four fixtures against BFC. The last time the sides faced off at the Kanteerava, Mohun Bagan ran out 4-0 winners. This remains BFC's sole home defeat under Zaragoza's reign.
But this is a different BFC side bent on reversing the rut, and central to their continuance is local lad Vinith Venkatesh, who has a goal and an assist from two matches and has been in dazzling form.
Suresh and Naorem Roshan Singh have begun the season brightly, so too have Edgar Mendez and Noguera. Sunil Chhetri looked sharp as a substitute against Hyderabad and netted a late brace.
For Mohun Bagan, the stand-out amid the absence of centre-back Alberto Rodriguez has been the rise of defender Dippendu Biswas. Jose Molina's side do seem to lack the synchronicity yet, and this is something that Bengaluru FC will be eager to exploit.
Late goals have been a regular occurrence so far in the ISL season, with 14 strikes flying in after the 85th minute from 14 matches. Zaragoza talked about the role of impact substitutes in influencing the outcome of the matches.
"Impact subs are very crucial to any game. Especially the younger ones, we try to make use of them because the last 20 minutes of the game are very important, and they have a lot of energy to change the game," Zaragoza said.
The Spaniard confirmed that along with youngster Shivaldo Singh, who is out for three months, Ryan Williams will miss the tie while Jorge Pereyra Diaz is 'doubtful'.
Such high-octane occasions bring the best out of the players, the coaches and the supporters, and it promises to be bedlam in Bengaluru as these two fierce rivals lock horns in the latest chapter of a burgeoning rivalry.
Match starts at 7:30 pm, live on Sports18, Jio Cinema.