Bagan's baby-faced gamble against resurgent Blasters | OneFootball

Young Mohun Bagan Faces Kerala Blasters in Kalinga Super Cup Quarterfinal Clash

Mohun Bagan Super Giant will field a significantly altered lineup when they face Kerala Blasters in the Kalinga Super Cup quarterfinal at Kalinga Stadium on Saturday.

The ISL double winners (League Shield and Cup) enter the tournament without any of their regular season foreign players, with former Portugal U-21 international Nuno Reis being the only non-Indian in their squad. Assistant coach Bastab Roy will take charge instead of head coach Jose Francisco Molina.

This rotation presents opportunities for players who saw limited action during the regular season. Ashique Kuruniyan, who made just two starts in the 2024-25 campaign compared to 12 the previous season, and Sahal Abdul Samad, whose starts dropped from 13 to eight, are expected to feature prominently.

"We are treating this tournament as an opportunity for young guys to find out how they can perform in the long run," Roy explained during the pre-match press conference.

The absence of Mohun Bagan's foreign contingent could prove significant, as they contributed to 48 of the team's 52 goals during their ISL campaign (32 goals, 16 assists).

Kerala Blasters, meanwhile, appear reinvigorated under new head coach David Catala. After finishing eighth in the ISL league phase, Blasters defeated defending Super Cup champions East Bengal 2-0 in Catala's first competitive match.

Despite the opportunity to secure their first trophy, Catala remains focused on immediate challenges rather than long-term goals. "To start thinking about trophies right now is not right. It's not helping anyone, and we need to just focus on the task tomorrow," he stated.

Kerala may have concerns over the availability of key midfielder Adrian Luna, who missed training ahead of the quarterfinal. The 33-year-old was substituted early in the second half against East Bengal with a suspected muscle injury.

Mohun Bagan received a bye into the quarterfinals after their scheduled round of 16 opponents, Churchill Brothers, withdrew from the competition.

The second quarterfinal of the day features FC Goa against Punjab FC, with Goa coach Manolo Marquez hoping to end his tenure with silverware after their semifinal exit in the ISL.

Source: SportStar