It has been a long journey to get to the end of a 22-match-day league stage, with almost all teams getting a taste of highs and lows as the tournament progressed. Some teams looked incredibly comfortable and found themselves in danger at no point, some teams have clawed their way to a playoff berth, while some were looking to slink down, but fortunately held their positions. As we finally have our top 6 who will be battling it out to get their hands at the ISL trophy- let’s look at what’s in store for us at the final stage of this league.
League Winners Shield battle
In an almost cinematic setting, Mohan Bagan FC and Mumbai City FC find themselves locked in for a very essential game to determine who takes home the shield, which is also the last game of the league stage. Mumbai City find themselves in an advantageous position, sitting pretty at the pole position currently, with 47 points, while Mohun Bagan are third placed with 45 points. Mumbai just need to restrict the Mohun Bagan team to a draw, and they will take home the shield, but with MBFC bloodthirsty for a win and to snatch that shield from Mumbai, they will have their task cut out for them, and cannot afford to go in with a defensive mindset. And we will witness the two best teams of the league fight it out to get that 1st position.
The race to the semifinals
While Kerala finally tasted victory in their last match of the league stage, they will face a stern test when they go against Odisha FC. Both teams have recently suffered defeats, and the moral advantage of walking into this game with a victory lies with the Blasters, as Odisha lost their last 2 games of the league stage. Still Odisha are placed higher and have had a better league stage, plus they will be playing at their home stadium Kalinga, so this promises to be a thrilling encounter, with some advantages and disadvantages to both sides. In the league stage, both teams have defeated each other once, with the scoreline being 2-1 on both occasions. There isn’t a lot that separates these 2 clubs, so a fairly even and engaging contest awaits us!
On the other side will be the battle of Chennaiyin FC with either Mohun Bagan or Goa, and while the opponent isn’t confirmed, what is confirmed is that Chennayin will have to work extra hard to earn that semifinal spot, with either opponents having won 4 of their last 5 games. While Chennai are in good touch themselves, having won 3 out of 5 and fighting tooth and nail to get to the playoffs, they did lose their final league match and find themselves matched with one of the better teams of the tournament. But the ISL has seen the rise of underdogs countless times, and Chennaiyin FC should fancy their chances against a formidable opponent.
With Mumbai being the only guaranteed club directly into the semi finals, it will be an enthralling race to see who joins them. Teams will be looking to play their best brand of football, as this is what both fans and teams have been waiting eagerly for, and we hardly doubt that it will disappoint us.
