League winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant will fancy their chances of completing a double when they take on a formidable Bengaluru FC in the final of the ISL Cup in Kolkata on Saturday.
The match will be played at Bagan's fortress Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan with a packed stadium rooting for them, but Bengaluru remain unperturbed as they head into what is expected to be a blockbuster clash.
Bagan coach Jose Molina spoke about not caring about what happened in the past, while BFC gaffer Gerard Zaragoza and captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu called Kolkata their 'second home'.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Molina stressed the importance of looking forward and not worrying about the past.
"I don't care about what happened in the past. I'm trying to do my best for Mohun Bagan Super Giant. We did well to win the League Shield and we are motivated to win the ISL Cup too.
"I don't need extra motivation from the fact that we lost the final last year. We are already motivated enough."
Bengaluru head coach Gerard Zaragoza, who showed exemplary camaraderie by helping translate a question for his counterpart Molina, was excited to play the big final at the 'mecca of India football'.
"We are very motivated for the finals and excited for the game. Everything is fine. We are confident and Kolkata is almost like our second home, because we were here for the Durand Cup. We had a good playoffs and we are looking forward to the grand finale."
Bagan captain Subhasish Bose, who Molina jokingly referred to as a striker in light of his goal-scoring form in this edition, shed light on the significance of the venue as a local boy.
"I'm always thrilled to play in front of our home fans. I wish that the fans support us wholeheartedly against Bengaluru tomorrow."
Bagan are the League Shield Winners, whereas Bengaluru finished third in the standings and then cruised past the challenges in the eliminator and semifinal to make it to the summit clash.
It is a fourth ISL finals appearance for Bengaluru in just eight seasons, while Bagan have become the first team to reach this stage three successive times.
This fixture is an encore of the ISL 2022-23 showdown, when both these sides had clashed in the season finale, with the Kolkata-based team emerging triumphant via penalties in a keenly fought contest.
They have the chance to repeat that feat in front of a vociferous home crowd this time around, whereas Bengaluru will take confidence from their recent form to distort the hosts' record of staying unbeaten at home thus far in the current campaign.
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