Three hours of football is all that separates the eventual 2023-24 Indian Super League (ISL) champions and their trophy. Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mumbai City FC, FC Goa and Odisha FC were the four best teams in the league stage, and it has come down to them in the playoffs once more.
We take a look at both the semifinals which are finely poised after the first-legs:
Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Odisha FC
Roy Krishna at the Salt Lake is usually a foregone conclusion, but the Fijian striker could be silencing the Kolkata crowd for once, not giving them something to cheer. Krishna won his battle against Hector Yuste in emphatic fashion last time out, as Odisha FC ran out 2-1 winners at home, coming back from a goal down to preserve their unbeaten record at the Kalinga Stadium.
Mohun Bagan at the Salt Lake is another prospect entirely however, as Mumbai City found out to their detriment, losing the League Shield title on the final day of the regular season. Odisha have only won three of their 11 away games this season, but even a draw will suffice for Sergio Lobera's men. Their task has been made much harder by the suspension of Carlos Delgado, who was sent off in the first leg. Narender Gahlot ought to come in to replace him, which may afford Lobera the chance to start another foreigner -- which might mean Diego Mauricio or Cy Goddard feature in the starting XI.
Bagan, meanwhile, have also lost Armando Sadiku to suspension following his red card in the first leg, but it's a straightforward swap for Antonio Habas -- with Jason Cummings coming in to replace him. The Spaniard could also opt for Sahal Abdul Samad making his return from injury in midfield and push Dimi Petratos into the #9 role. Abhishek was hauled off at half time in the previous game, which might mean Deepak Tangri may be favoured in midfield, but it's very much a like-for-like swap.
The previous game saw the midfield bypassed entirely for long stretches of the game as both sides indulged in a see-saw battle or 'too much long ball, long ball' as Habas put it. It forced Ahmed Jahouh to drop deep, almost as an auxillary centre-back, in an attempt to dictate play for Odisha. We could witness a similar encounter as the visitors only need a draw and could simply opt for a low block and launching it forward to Krishna at every available opportunity.
Should Lobera decide to throw all caution to the wind however, we can expect another thrilling match, given that the last time these two teams met at the Salt Lake in a crunch encounter, Odisha walked away 5-2 winners of their AFC Cup tie. Habas 2.0 would certainly facilitate such an encounter but should the Spaniard spring a surprise and revert to type, some Dimi Petratos magic might prove to be enough.
Prediction: Mohun Bagan 2-2 Odisha FC (aggregate 3-4).
Mumbai City FC vs FC Goa
Where do we even begin with this one? On paper, FC Goa ought to be walking into the Mumbai Football Arena with a 2-0 lead and be outright favourites to progress to the final on the back of a Manolo Marquez defensive masterclass. Instead, six minutes of madness saw Mumbai City score three goals in injury time at the Fatorda, meaning Petr Kratky's side have the advantage and a draw will suffice. The task is harder for Goa, who will need to win by two goals to progress, as a one-goal win will only force extra-time.
Manolo Marquez will be without Mohammed Yasir for this game, and perhaps even the final should Goa progress, as the Indian winger was stretchered off with an injury and should be replaced by Udanta Singh. Similarly, Kratky will be without Akash Mishra after his injury in the first leg, but Valpuia was an able deputy. Alberto Noguera still faces a race against time to be available, but Jorge Pereyra Diaz returns from suspension to offer Mumbai a much-needed boost.
Diaz's return might complicate things for Kratky, given it was his all-Indian frontline that won them the game in Goa. Lallianzuala Chhangte and Vikram Partap Singh were the goalscorers and are nailed on to start again, but they owed a lot to Jayesh Rane and Gurkirat Singh's performance once the pair came on. The duo injected jeopardy into the match as Mumbai went all-out, but Kratky might be reluctant to try that right from the off.
It could mean that Goa will repeat their performance from the first leg, the 'best of their season' in Manolo Marquez's words, should Mumbai and Goa setup in similar fashion. Odei Onaindia was superb in defence in the first leg, snuffing out every foray forward from Mumbai (barring the madcap last six minutes), and even Diaz's presence might not be enough to prevent a repeat. At the other end for Goa, Noah Sadaoui remains a prolific outlet, but Carlos Martinez might be given a shot at leading the line, with Sadaoui dropping to the wings.
Prediction: Mumbai City 1-2 FC Goa (aggregate 4-4 a.e.t); Goa win on penalties.