Since ISL Season 7 is around the corner, the
teams have already entered the bio-bubble and started with their pre-season
training. This year the stakes have just gotten higher, as most of the teams
have been completely transformed, whether in terms of new signings or
partnership deals with European clubs. We saw some intense transfer window
activity during the offseason and also some new rivalries getting formed up,
over the table. The top five rivalries to look out for, in this season are:
ATKMohunBagan
- SC East Bengal:
The former ISL champions ATK, merging up with
Mohun Bagan was one of the most talked deals in the history of Indian football
during the offseason. But, if that was less for the fans, East Bengal decided
not to miss out on the ISL action. Thus, East Bengal made its entry to the ISL
after partnering with the Shree Cements as SC East Bengal. Since this is the
oldest rivalry of Indian football, this definitely had to be added to this
list.
ATK
Mohun Bagan - Kerala Blasters FC:
KBFC must be looking forward to getting their
first ISL title under Kibu Vicuna, the former coach of Mohun Bagan.Signings
like Gary Hooper, Vicente Gomez makes KBFC, definitely the ones to watch out
for, this season. When we talk about Indian football, we think of Kerala and
West Bengal. Such age-old footballing culture, huge fanbases, Gary Hooper vs Roy
Krishna and Jhingan’s entry into ATK
Mohun Bagan from KBFC, all this sums up as the perfect season opener for ISL
Season 7.
FC
Goa - Mumbai City FC:
This rivalry needs no explanation for the
people who have kept an eye during the transfer window. Sergio Lobera, one of
the greatest coaches of ISL, under which FC Goa made it to the finals of ISL
2018-19, and also won the Super Cup, was sacked by the Goan management. Mumbai
City FC made sure that they leave no stone unturned to get Lobera as their
head coach for next season. Once Lobera signed the contract, we saw players
like Ahmed Jahouh, Mourtada Fall, Mandar Rao Desai, Hugo Boumous, and Amey Ranawade
follow their coach’s footsteps, thus leaving FC Goa and joining Mumbai City Fc.
There was a huge clash between the fans of both the clubs on social media
platforms during the transfer window. This is why this fixture makes it to the
list of top rivalries.
Chennaiyin
FC - FC Goa:
FC Goa wouldn’t have forgotten the last
seasons’ nightmare for sure; winning all their league matches against CFC, but
losing the finals spot on the total aggregate score to CFC. They would definitely
be looking forward to a settlement for last seasons’ wound. With the additions
like Igor Angulo, Jorge Ortiz, FC Goa will be entering the tournament with a
new foreign squad and will be fighting against CFC, who will be under a new
coach, Csaba Laszlo. Another reason to watch out for this game is that we will be
seeing one of the best Indian midfielders go against each other, Brandon
Fernandes(FCG) and Anirudh Thapa(CFC). If you are planning to watch some games
of ISL, then you should definitely not miss out on this one.
Bengaluru
FC - Kerala Blasters FC:
This list wouldn’t be complete if we don’t
include the southern derby. The kind of emotions that are shared between the
fans of BFC and KBFC, cannot be seen anywhere else. The social media platforms
are seen to be on fire, before and even, after the fixture. While BFC is one of
the most consistent teams in terms of remarkable performance, KBFC has always
been known as the club with the biggest fan base. With the new additions to the
squad, KBFC would definitely be looking forward to conquering the Bengaluru fortress.
-Neeladri Chatterjee
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