ISL 2017: Debutants Bengaluru FC look to start with a bang vs Mumbai City FC

Bengaluru, November 18: Four years ago, I-League debutants Bengaluru FC were all set to launch themselves in the Indian Super League (ISL).

Goalkeeper Gurpreet replaces injured Ralte in BFC squad

Talks of a franchise with Sun Network were on. However, disagreements over the stakes of the Bengaluru team allegedly led to the bid being withdrawn and at that moment, Chennai, unknown and lost in history in the football landscape of the country jumped in and bagged the franchise rights.

BFC missed out and they have been waiting since then. That wait will finally end on Sunday (November 19) when they play their first ISL match against Mumbai City FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

BFC, two-time I-League and two-time Federation Cup champions, bid to be part of the IMG-Reliance-backed and the more glamorous league of the country.

There was no better way for them to start their new chapter too. A game at home, in front of their beloved West Block Blues who have always backed BFC's plans on player development, will be nothing short of a fairytale start for the club.

Adding another connection to the opener is Sunil Chhetri, who played for Mumbai in the ISL, as well as Mumbai's goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, part of BFC's squad before they jumped into the ISL.

There have always been doubts whether BFC did the right thing by bidding for the ISL but that matters little now. The time is here for them to show the country whether they can reproduce their I-League and continental AFC Cup success in this championship.

Coach Albert Roca too pointed out the same thing in his pre-match press conference.

"For sure, you know, things change," he said on Saturday (November 18). "You can see a lot of people in the press conference hall, which is nice. We have to accept the rule, which has a final playoff stage instead of the league winner being crowned the champion. For sure, our first goal should be to be in those four teams that will play semi-final and final.

But there is a long way to go for that. I think we can reach that stage. Our goal should be that we have to be No 1 even if we are new in the championship. We are ambitious. We just want to be there."

For Chhetri, playing in the unofficial premier league of the country matters more than which team he plays for.

"I think it's special because there were a lot of talks about it before BFC signed for ISL," he said. "You told us the past yourself. Whenever we join a tournament, we are one of the favourites. For us players, nothing changes. Nobody talks about whether the surrounding is different. We're the same and our mentality will never change.

"It was the same when we won the first three games in the I-League last season. Later, we didn't win six games but our mentality didn't change. We are the team that wants three points. That translates from gaffer to us. We will be as physical as possible."

The Blues, however, will be without Dimas Delgado in the midfield. However, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the India No 1, will start for them after replacing the injured Lalthuammawia Ralte (Mawia) in the squad.

As for Mumbai City FC, the losers in the semifinals of the ISL last year after topping the league stage, they hope to better the performance. Apart from Chhetri, Mumbai will play this season without star striker Diego Forlan and Sony Norde. Coach Alexandre Guimaraes hopes to achieve the same success with his new boys.

"We tried to solve all these problems of players changing teams," he said. "It was not just about them. It was about other players as well as Diego Forlan. But as all the other teams, we have to field a different team and I am satisfied with the way the players performed in pre-season in these individuals' absence. But we are trying to show tomorrow what we want to present to the ISL."

Guimaraes claimed the reason for their success is the team combination and knowledge of opponents.

"First of all, it's because we had a good combination of foreigners with the Indians," he said. "We have a good mix. Then after that, they understood very well what I wanted each player to perform. They understood the style we have to play to be competitive. Then they did what i asked them to do in the pre-season as well as in the tournament. They did well in the first phase of the tournament. Even in the situation in crucial games, we played well during the first phase.

"But I know we are playing against BFC tomorrow which have some players like Sunil who played earlier for us. Even Erik Paartalu played for me in China. I know they will try to tell coach some situations (of mine). Let's see if I can throw a surprise tomorrow."

Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium

Time and channel: The game starts at 8 pm and will be available on Star Network and Hotstar.