look news india
Kolkata, September 13 (HS). The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season will kick off with a thrilling match between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata on Friday evening.
Mohun Bagan won the opening matches of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons against Kerala Blasters FC but they need to improve their record against Mumbai as they have beaten Mumbai City FC only once in their 10 meetings so far. That one win, however, was crucial, coming in the title decider in April last season.
Mohun Bagan are looking forward to defending their championship under new head coach Jose Molina, who last coached ATK in 2016 and is making his return to Kolkata, the Mecca of Indian football.
Molina said in an interview with ISL during the media day, “I am very excited to be back in ISL after 2016. Mohun Bagan is one of the best clubs in India and always fights for the ISL championship. Being with this club is a big responsibility. But I hope to work hard and win the tournament. The level of players and the league has improved since I came here. I am very happy to be here again and contribute to taking Indian football forward.”
Under the guidance of Czech coach Peter Kratky, Mumbai City FC have registered a strong win percentage of 68.42% in 19 ISL matches. After taking over as head coach midway through last season and then leading the Islanders to the ISL Cup, Kratky is keen to go one step further this time and win the Shield.
“Winning the ISL Shield is always a dream. We are in football to win trophies. The matches haven't started yet, but we have high standards for this season. As a coach, I want us to win every game. We will try our best to achieve that,” Kratky told ISL during the media day.