ISL 2024-25 fans speak: Final fever grips Kolkata as Mohun Bagan face Bengaluru FC

The City of Joy comes to life once again as the much-anticipated Final clash of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season is set to take place at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday, April 12, between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bengaluru FC.

It is the fourth appearance in the summit clash for both teams, and while the Mariners are eyeing the coveted double, having already won the League Shield, the Blues will be eager to defeat their opponents in their backyard to win their second ISL title.

Alongside the potentially captivating on-field action, though, it will be the off-field support for both sides that will garner equal attention. MBSG, being one of the legacy teams, harbour arguably one of the most passionate fan bases in the country. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC have dedicatedly cultivated homegrown support ever since their inception in 2013, setting the stage for a cracking contest with both teams striving hard to live up to the expectations of their well-wishers.

“We are playing great football in almost every game at this moment”

“As a die-hard Mohun Bagan fan, I am pretty excited about the upcoming ISL final match. Also, it is a great pleasure for us as this is our fourth consecutive ISL final. At this moment, we are playing great football and in almost every game, we are fighting till the last minute, which is a very good sign and talks a lot about the fitness level of the team. As a cherry on the cake, since the match will be played at Salt Lake Stadium where more than half will be occupied by Mariners, I think we will be starting as the favourites,” lifelong Mohun Bagan supporter Shiladitya Mitra says.

However, his counterpart from the West Block Blues, Rakesh Haridas, the official supporters group of Bengaluru FC, is equally confident of the Sunil Chhetri-led side turning up victorious in the summit clash. Rakesh acknowledged the undeniable strength of the League Shield Winners, but mentioned that past records go for a toss, come the day of the finals.

“I truly believe we can take on and beat any team this season. There's no denying that Mohun Bagan have been the standout side, consistently the best team in the country throughout the campaign. But when it comes to the final, form and records often go out the window. It's about who handles the moment better, who turns up when it matters most,” Rakesh says.

Shiladitya is treading cautiously on that front too. The MBSG faithful appreciated Bengaluru FC for their form, but still backed his team to emerge triumphant with a clean sheet.

“We must not be complacent as in a similar situation; we lost the final last year after winning the ISL Shield. Our opponents Bengaluru FC have got their momentum back and are playing as a unit and so we will have to be careful about them. I am keeping my fingers crossed and my prediction is that we will win the match 2-0,” he adds.

“We respect Mohun Bagan, but we don’t fear them”

The confidence is equally palpable amongst Bengaluru FC fans though, taking belief from their recent form that has seen them cruise from the knockouts to the finals with dynamism and ease.

“We’ve been in fine attacking rhythm, scoring goals freely and playing with a lot of belief. The semi-final was a real test of nerves, and I think we showed tremendous character to come through that under pressure. That kind of performance gives us confidence. We respect Mohun Bagan, but we don’t fear them. We’re ready, and we’re here to fight for the title,” Rakesh adds.

Though intensities on the pitch will be sky high across the 90 minutes and beyond on Saturday, the expectations are soaring high in the stands too. As fans from both teams wait with bated breaths for the playoffs, the ISL looks well-poised to deliver another spectacle that will stun and surprise its spectators.

The Indian Super League 2024-25 final will be streamed live on JioHotstar (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam) and telecast live on Star Sports – 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam).