It’s the debutants versus the veterans. It’s the team that has been earmarked as favourites to win the title since the season began versus the team that has the defensive nous to stop them from doing so. It’s the team that finished top of the table versus the team that finished a spot below them – a first in the league’s four-year history.
On Saturday, Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC take on each other for the Indian Super League title at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
BFC are the overwhelming favourites to defeat Chennaiyin FC in the final. But Bengaluru fans will know that a home team has never won the ISL final: Goa (2015) and Kerala (2016) left their home grounds with massive heartaches. Added to that is another statistic that a team which has finished on top of the league table too has never gone on to become champions in the ISL since its inception in 2014.
Bengaluru have been the stand-out team in this edition of ISL. They have scored 38 goals, second only to Goa, but it’s their defensive record – conceding just 17 times in 20 matches – that gives them a clear edge. With goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu making it extremely difficult for rivals to get past him, Bengaluru FC should feel confident that they can continue their fine run for another game. Significantly, Bengaluru FC are unbeaten in their last 10 matches, winning eight of them.
Not everything goes in Bengaluru’s favour. Chennaiyin FC will also fancy their chances, having defeated Bengaluru FC 2-1 at their own den, thanks to a last-minute goal from Dhanpal Ganesh during the league stage.
John Gregory’s side has given a good account of themselves and proved that they know how to win matches that matter. Against FC Goa in the semi-finals, Chennaiyin FC negated the threat of Goa’s dangerous strike pair of Ferran Corominas and Manuel Lanzarote and will hope to do the same against Sunil Chhetri and Miku, who have combined to score 27 of their 38 goals.
Here’s a look at how the two teams match-up in terms of the numbers:
As the visiting coach pointed out, CFC have the advantage of having defeated the home team at their fortress in this season and will be hoping history repeats itself. If the trend of the away team continues in the final, then the Bengaluru faithful could be in for a shock.
Road to the final
As mentioned earlier, this is the first time in the league’s short history that the teams that finished first and second in the group stages are battling out with each other for the title. While Bengaluru FC steamrolled through the league phase, finishing comfortably first, it was more of a see-saw battle for Chennai, who started the season in disastrous fashion by going down 0-3 in the first half they played against FC Goa. Despite losing their first game at home 3-2, the Super Machans recovered well and stitched together a solid league campaign.
Knockouts
Bengaluru FC have, of course, played only two ISL knockout games so far but their ability to win the crunch games over the years has been stellar. They have won a major trophy in all of their last four campaigns (two I-League titles and two Federation Cup titles).
Chennaiyin FC have the advantage of being one of the most consistent teams in the ISL. This is already their second final and they have done well in the league in the past.
The Jeje vs Chhetri match-up
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say whichever striker among Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua have the better game, that team will take the title. The league’s top two Indian goalscorers will decide the fate of their teams and they come into this match with good goal-scoring touch – Chhetri scored a hattrick in his team’s semi-final second leg while Jeje scored a brace.
BFC’s technical superiority vs CFC’s defence
There would be no prizes for guessing which team dominates the offence and passing numbers and which team dominates the defence statistics. BFC play a more technical game, with the ball at their feet while CFC are known for their organisation and backs-to-the-wall defence.
Here’s a look at their season numbers, back to front.
So who will the champions be? Will it be the free-scoring BFC backed by their vocal home support? Will it be the tactically astute travelling team who will reclaim the title they handed over to ATK last year? We will find out soon enough.
All charts and statistics courtesy Indian Super League
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