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          Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC: India's best teams face up to unpredictable ISL Final

          Abhijit Addya / Focus Sports / FSDL
          • Anirudh Menon in Kolkata
          Apr 11, 2025, 08:40 AM ET

          Mohun Bagan take on Bengaluru FC in the Final of 2024-25 Indian Super League and here's everything you need to know about the game:

          The Match

          Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC, 2024-25 ISL Final

          7:30 PM, 12/4/2025, Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata

          Telecast on JioHotstar, Star Sports 3, live blog on ESPN

          The Big Picture

          It was a rather odd sight to see at the pre-match press conference, the two managers sitting together, along with two senior players - Jose Molina and his captain Subhasish Bose; Gerard Zaragoza and his goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. There was a friendly hostility in the air as the two team bosses shook hands and sat next to each other, while flanking them Bose put on his best captain-face and Gurpreet his usual nonchalant 'let's-get-this-over-with' one. As you'd expect from such an unusual arrangement, the quotes that came out of the PC were rather predictable.

          The Kolkata press enquired as to how BFC would handle the cauldron that is a full, hostile Salt Lake stadium and were met with versions of 'these are the kind of games we play this game for', Gurpreet talking about how the biggest games in India always seem to be at the Salt Lake and then reminiscing about his memories from the derby in his early years as a professional (playing for East Bengal).

          They also wanted to know just how much of a boost having such a vocal support would have on Bagan, and were reassured that Bagan would need no greater motivation, Molina telling them to move on from the final defeat of last year and (essentially) live in the present, Bose talking about his pride in leading his boyhood club to yet another final.

          Outside the predictable quotes, though, there was an atmosphere of genuine electricity. Nothing about the game tomorrow appears to be predictable. This is the nation's best football team currently (league shield winners two seasons running), taking on one of the nation's most enterprising teams over the last decade, one that recovered spectacularly from a disaster of a season last time around. Does it get much better?

          It's plain that neither club takes the other lightly -- Molina respects the manner of BFC's fightback after a mid-season slump and the thrilling nature of their knockout journey, Zaragoza and Gurpreet acknowledge Bagan's overall superiority in the league stage -- but neither are they slow to draw attention to their own strengths.

          It will be Bagan's pragmatism and out-of-this-world squad quality against BFC's gung-ho attack and ace up the sleeve (a certain #11) on Saturday... and it promises to be an absolute cracker.

          The Recent Past

          This season has seen three contrasting games being played out between the two. Bagan came from 0-2 behind to draw 2-2 and then dump BFC out of the Durand Cup on penalties. At the Kanteerava, Bagan were swatted away by an imperious home performance, BFC winning 3-0. In the reverse fixture at Salt Lake, a Liston Colaco screamer ensured a pragmatic Bagan ended up 1-0 winners. It's a fixture that's had everything - and one can but hope they've kept the best for last.

          Meanwhile, that latter result is more in tune with the two clubs' recent history. Since Bagan came into the ISL in 2020-21, the two have faced each other 11 times with results heavily skewed in Bagan's favour - they've won eight to BFC's two.

          The Key Players

          Jamie Maclaren

          The Bagan top scorer has been so good this season, previous-league's-best Dimi Petratos has had to be content with a bit-part role off the bench. Maclaren will go up against an all-Indian backline that has held fort brilliantly -- and will need to be at his dynamic best to trouble Rahul Bheke and Chinglensana Singh at the heart of the BFC defence. His combination with Jason Cummings could disrupt the BFC central duo's rhythm and that is probably the way through to that elusive double for Bagan

          Also watch out for: Greg Stewart. The playmaker has had a forgettable season, but there are few in the league who can pick a defensive lock quite like the Bagan playmaker.

          Alberto Noguera

          It's simple really, when Noguera has a good game, BFC have a good game. The trequartista has been good through the season, but has reveled as the tip of the skewed-diamond that Zaragoza employed in the knockouts. Given the freedom of midfield, Noguera's set the attacking tempo, controlled that dangerous attack like a master puppeteer and generally been unstoppable. Up against a possible midfield of Apuia and Anirudh Thapa -- both of whom enjoy their attacking more than their defensive duties -- the amount of space and time he gets in the final third may well decide the game.

          Also watch out for: You know who. "Sunil [Chhetri] is a headache," said Zaragoza laughing at how desperate his talisman is to play every single minute of every single game, and how the coaching staff have had to convince him to accepting the kind of game time that works best for his 40-year-old body. They've managed it well so far, and the coach insists the league's second top-scorer has also been the best player across the league this season. If Chhetri score another late winner, Zaragoza just might have a point there.

          The Predicted XIs

          There are no real injury worries for Bagan, and Molina can tweak his lineup as he deems fit. We've gone here with the XI that beat Jamshedpur in that semifinal second leg.

          Mohun Bagan (4-4-2 flat): Vishal Kaith (GK); Asish Rai, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose; Liston Colaco, Anirudh Thapa, Apuia, Ashique Kuruniyan; Jason Cummings, Jamie Maclaren

          Suresh Singh and Vineeth Venkatesh appear to be back in contention after Zaragoza claimed that only (long-term injured) Nikhil Poojary was out for the game. We've gone with Suresh in midfield, despite the injury risk, considering the magnitude of the game.

          Bengaluru FC (4-4-2 diamond): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Namgyal Bhutia, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh, Naorem Roshan Singh; Sivasakthi Narayanan, Pedro Capo, Alberto Noguera, Suresh Singh; Ryan Williams, Edgar Mendez