3 battles to look forward to in the semi-final tie between Mumbai City FC and Bengaluru FC | ISL 2022-23

Mumbai City FC will clash horns with Bengaluru FC in a highly-anticipated ISL 2022-23 semifinal. The first leg in Mumbai is scheduled for Thursday, March 9, while the second leg will take place in Bangalore three days later.

The 2022-23 season of the Indian Super League has been one to remember. We have seen several quality games and some enthralling moments that have grabbed the headlines on numerous occasions.

We are now at the business end of the campaign, and this is where things get spicy.

After two breathtaking playoff encounters, which certainly did not lack drama, the semi-finals are upon us. First up, ISL Shield winners Mumbai City FC are all set to lock horns with Bengaluru FC at the Mumbai Football Arena in the first game of the two-legged tie.

Since the turn of the year, the Blues have been on an upward trajectory, winning nine games on the bounce. Sunil Chhetri’s controversial goal against Kerala Blasters is still up for debate, but it sealed his side’s spot in the final four.

𝗦𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡 💪⏳

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At the other end of the ring, Mumbai City looked unstoppable for large parts of the season. The league stage, as a result, was arguably one-sided, with Des Buckingham’s well-oiled machine winning the Shield with three games to spare.

Although they suffered a blip towards the back end of the season, it is fair to say that Mumbai City FC took their foot off the gas after securing the title. Nonetheless, they will know that it’s time to light the torch once again, while Bengaluru FC will look to extinguish it.

The two heavyweights met twice earlier this season and picked up a win apiece. Mumbai City thrashed Bengaluru 4-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena back in November, when the Blues were in an absolute rut.

However, Grayson's side returned the favor in Bangalore last month, winning 2-1 to kill the Islanders' hopes of an invincible season.

If those matches are anything to go by, the upcoming meetings between the two teams will likely prove to be tight tactical affairs. On that note, let’s take a look at the three battles that could decide the tie.

#1 Jorge Pereyra Diaz vs Sandesh Jhingan

Sandesh Jhingan did not start the ISL 2022-23 season as he would have hoped, but the influential Indian defender is back to his best. He is one of the reasons why Bengaluru FC have looked solid defensively, with his leadership at the back serving as an important ingredient to the team's success.

The 29-year-old was tasked with marking Kerala Blasters FC’s Dimitrios Diamantakos in the playoff knockout tie at the Kanteerava Stadium. Diamantakos has been on song, scoring 10 goals this season, but more importantly, his physicality has made it difficult for his opponents to take him out of the game.

Jhingan, however, stuck to his task and passed with flying colors. He won 80% of his aerial duels and made six clearances as he completely marked the striker out of the game. Diamantakos cut a frustrated figure and eventually began drifting wider to find space on the flanks and influence the game.

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While Jhingan certainly got the better of Diamantakos, he has another huge challenge in the form of Jorge Pereyra Diaz. Diaz has been Mumbai City FC’s talisman this season, scoring 11 goals and assisting six times.

The Argentinian also offers a different type of test to Jhingan as he constantly looks to drop deeper and spread the ball to the flanks. Additionally, he is also a fox in the box and his positional awareness is second to none.

This duel could be a huge factor in the two-legged tie and will unquestionably prove to be a fascinating tussle.

#2 Battle of the flanks

Bengaluru FC have been ruthless defensively, but they have been exposed on the flanks at times. Part of their struggles constitutes to Simon Grayson’s tactical setup. The Englishman prefers to play in a 3-5-2 formation with plenty of impetus on starting three physical centre-backs.

With Roy Krishna and Sivasakthi Narayanan upfront and three midfielders behind them, Mumbai City FC will look to overload the flanks. Lallianzuala Chhangte and Bipin Singh are dangerous in one-versus-one situations, and the Islanders’ full-backs could make overlapping runs.

This will in turn create room for Chhangte and Bipin, who have scored 16 combined goals this season, to operate and exploit.

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Bengaluru FC centre-backs Bruno Ramires and Aleksander Jovanovic are also not the best in terms of covering the spaces out wide. They haven't received too much help on that front from Prabir Das and Naorem Roshan Singh as well.

However, the Blues have largely dealt with the threat out wide, courtesy of the work-rate provided by midfield duo Suresh Singh Wangjam and Rohit Kumar.

Nonetheless, this could prove to be an area that Mumbai City boss Des Buckingham targets to get the better of his opponents.

#3 Bengaluru FC’s forwards vs Mumbai City FC defenders

The battle between Pereyra Diaz and Sandesh Jhingan will be crucial. However, on the other end, Bengaluru FC also have weapons in attacking areas that could potentially shift the tie in their favor.

Roy Krishna and Sivasakthi Narayanan have been menacing on the break for the Blues.

Sivashakthi’s movement combined with Krishna’s pace and ability to wriggle past challenges has been Simon Grayson’s go-to formula to score goals. The pair have registered 13 goal contributions during the Blues' nine-game winning run in which the team has scored 21 goals.

Mumbai City, meanwhile, were sloppy at the back towards the end of the league stages. Moreover, as they tend to commit plenty of players forward, teams have targeted them on the break.

Bengaluru FC are usually content to sit back and invite pressure but are ruthless when their opponents lose the ball.

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Similar to Des Buckingham’s potential plan to overload the wide area, Simon Grayson could look to unleash the pace of his two forwards. Combined with Javi Hernandez’s ability to create chances, Bengaluru FC are more than capable of dismantling their opponents.

Additionally, the two teams also have several game-changers in their ranks.

For Mumbai City FC, Greg Stewart and Ahmed Jahouh could take the game by the scruff of its neck. Meanwhile, the likes of Hernandez, Krishna and Sunil Chhetri, as displayed in the match against Kerala Blasters, also have the potential to change the course of the tie at any given moment.