Key contest: Bagan will have its task cut out in trying to stop Odisha striker Roy Krishna.
| Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout
Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be leaning back on its hefty home support for motivation when it meets Odisha FC in the second leg of semifinal 1 of ISL-10 with the task of winning the match with a minimum two-goal margin in order to qualify for the final.
The important knock-out stage at the Salt Lake Stadium on April 28 is expected to have a keen contest with the host starting as an underdog. Odisha FC will start the match with the advantage of a 2-1 result which it had accomplished while hosting Mohun Bagan in the first leg at the Kalinga Stadium barely five days ago. In this situation, a draw will be sufficient for the visitor while the host faces an uphill task of winning by a two-margin in order to turn the goal aggregate in its favour.
Egged on by a massive support of around 62,000 fans, Mohun Bagan SG had upstaged Mumbai City FC (on April 15) to win its maiden League Winner’s Shield at the same venue. It is expected that the fans will return in similar strength to cheer the team (which is also the defending knock-out champion) to its second consecutive entry to the final. Both sides will be missing a player each – Odisha FC will have its Spanish defender Carlos Delgado sitting out while Mohun Bagan SG will be without its Albanian forward Armando Sadiku – owing to suspension. This will be a cause of concern for the two opponents, who will have to set their plans accordingly.