The controversial Super Cup enters into the Quarter Finals with Chennai City FC being the only I-League club still participating.
Keeping aside the off-field controversies, the first quarter will be one to watch out for as the two champions of India will face each other. ISL winners Bengaluru FC will contest against I-League champions Chennai City FC at the Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar on Thursday evening.
Bengaluru FC will start off the proceedings confident enough to reach the semi-finals. The Carles Cuadrat managed team had all the objectives met even after a dismal phase midway through the season.
Having numerous injury concerns cleared out, BFC would be under no pressure when the ball starts rolling at Bhubaneswar. The ISL champions had their Pre-Quarters fixture against Mohun Bagan, but advanced without playing as the latter withdrew from the competition.
Chennai City in I-League did exactly what Bengaluru FC did in the ISL. They ended the league with only three losses and a mammoth figure of 48 goals scored. The head coach Akbar Nawaz was right at his decisions for a major part of the season.
The 3-1 win over Minerva Punjab to lift the cup was a clear picture of the managerial brilliance. It will be interesting to watch two managers of different backgrounds coming against each other. Chennai reached the quarterfinals after thrashing Pune City by 4-2.
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City FC: Match Information
Date: 4 April 2019
Kickoff: 8:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City FC: Team News
Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC's notable absence will be Spanish midfielder Luis Lopez, who is not part of the squad.
Chennai City FC
Chennai City FC is expected not to make any changes to their first XI against Pune City.
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City FC: Probable Lineups
Bengaluru FC (4-2-3-1): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Harmanjot Khabra, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Nishu Kumar, Alex Barrera, Dimas Delgado, Udanta Singh, Xisco Hernandez, Sunil Chhetri, Miku
Chennai City (4-4-2): Mauro Boerchio, Edwin Vanspaul, Tarif Akhand, Gaurav Bora, Ajithkumar Kamaraj, Michael Regin, Charles Lourdusamy, Sandro Rodriguez, Nestor Gordillo, Ameeruddin Mohaideen, Pedro Manzi
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City: Form Guide
Bengaluru FC: W-W-L-L-W
Chennai City: W-L-W-W-D
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City: Head-to-Head
Bengaluru FC: 1
Chennai City:
Draw: 1
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City: Key Players
Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC's most key player on the field will be skipper Sunil Chhetri. The 34-year old will be able to suppress the pressure on the big matchday and can be the best weapon in Cuadrat's armoury.
If Chhetri gets going against Chennai City, it would be yet another semi-final for BFC.
Chennai City FC
Pedro Manzi will be again handed over the responsibility of taking the team to the next round. The Uruguayan-born forward proved his worth with the hat-trick against the Pune City attack in the previous game.
The joint I-League top-scorer of the season with 21 goals, is someone who can break BFC's Super Cup dreams.
Bengaluru FC vs Chennai City: Predictions
Being a perfect view of the comparisons between the two leagues, the match is going to catch a lot of attention. It is Bengaluru FC having a slight upper hand for their advantage in terms of experience. However, Chennai City is never going to make things easy for the ISL champions.
Predicted Score: Bengaluru FC 2-1 Chennai City FC