It’s a battle of equals, says Bhaichung Bhutia on ISL final between Bengaluru and Chennai
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Former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia has stated that the two best teams in the league have deservingly made it to the Indian Super League finals. The former India captain has also added that both teams will go very defensive from the beginning and the game might not be a high scoring affair.
Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC will take on each other in the grand finale of 2017-18 ISL at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru today. The Blues, who are powered by their 10-match unbeaten run, will get the support of their home crowd and will try to recreate their I-League magic in their debut season of the ISL. However, their opponents Chennaiyin FC are the only team in the league apart from ATK to have ever won the ISL title and they will try hard to keep the momentum of a seven-match unbeaten run to win the final encounter. With both team's showing consistent performance throughout the league, Bhutia believes that the match will be a cracker of an encounter.
"The two most consistent teams have deservingly made it to the final of the Hero Indian Super League and it promises to be a cracker. The final is going to be an interesting one," Bhutia wrote in his column for TOI.
"I see this getting tight and maybe even going to extra time. Both the teams are defensively very organized. Somehow I have a feeling that goals may come through dead balls and I don’t see any team going all out right from the kick-off.
"It’s a battle of equals - the teams are similar in approach and most importantly, have the same kind of players. With a likely 4-2-3-1 combination in a final, the midfielders will have a defensive mindset."
While Bhutia was a star of his generation, Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua are two of the biggest stars of this generation of the Indian football. The two legends also played an important part in Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC's journey to the final respectively as Chhetri scored a hat-trick against FC Pune City in their semis while Jeje scored a brace against FC Goa in the semifinals to take his team to the finals.Â
"The best part of the semi-finals was that two Indian strikers made all the difference and it was a big advertisement for Indian football. Sunil Chhetri’s hat-trick for JSW Bengaluru FC and Jeje Lalpekhlua’s brace for Chennaiyin FC have raised expectations. It’s up to both to now finish off the job. Obviously, only one will end on the winning side. Sunil’s hat-trick was exemplary and it made all the difference in the second leg. The goals had the touch of experience and opportunism, not to forget the sublime skill which has made him stand out for the national team as well. It was a perfect display of how to deliver when the team depends on you," he mentioned.
"You can argue the same for Jeje. He stepped up when required, and how? The match-winner that he is was on display and he was able to complement Chennaiyin’s team effort with two crucial strikes."
