Celebrating of the culmination of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 season, anticipation is peaking as rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC lock horns to become the ISL Cup Winners at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on May 4, Saturday, at 7:30 pm IST. Kolkata will be hosting its first-ever ISL final tomorrow and amid an electrifying excitement in the City of Joy, coaches and players from the two finalists assembled for a pre-match press conference summarising their thoughts ahead of the summit clash of the 10th season of the ISL.
On April 15, a similar match had ensued between them at this very stadium, where the Mariners edged past the Islanders by 2-1 to dethrone Mumbai City FC and get crowned the ISL Champions. Back in 2020-21, the Mariners were defeated by Mumbai City FC by 2-1 in the ISL final, and Antonio Lópes Habas was at the receiving end of that result. Whilst avenging such outcomes are common talks in football, Habas’ thought process transcends that currently.
There are no favourites for the final
“There is no question of revenge for me. It’s one more game of football. We are playing against a very good opponent. I am very happy and excited for the final and we have to compete well to win the trophy. We have played finals in different places. But this is special, to play a final at our home in front of our own supporters,” Habas said during the press meet.
Mumbai City FC have learnt from the previous loss
The Mariners had almost swept aside Mumbai City FC in their title-deciding clash that drew curtains on the league stages of ISL 2023-24 in April. Their 2-1 win was as convincing as it could come, pushing an impeccable looking Islanders’ unit off balance with their fierce pace and assertion over their own style of play. Mumbai City FC head coach Petr Kratky has certainly taken some learning from that defeat, and is keen to correct them on Saturday.
“We have learnt from the previous game. We will try to start the game a little bit differently. We will play our football from the first minute. We will try to compete, and win the game. We have learnt from our first defeat and we have come here to compete, fight, and get the win,” he said today.