Indian Super League team Mohun Bagan Super Giant will kickstart their AFC Asian Cup 2023-24 campaign from Preliminary Stage round two. The Mariners will be facing the winners of Bhutan’s Paro FC and Nepal’s Machhindra FC in the South Zone of the competition. The Mariners will start their campaign on August 15.
Juan Ferrando’s men won the ISL to get in contention for the continental spots. However they had a poor Super Cup campaign, they did not get past the group stage. Hence, they had to beat Hyderabad FC on penalties in the Club Playoffs to seal their place in the preliminary berth of the AFC Cup.
The Green and Maroons are one of the three teams to feature in continental tournaments this year. While Mumbai City FC will feature in the AFC Champions League for the second successive year, Odisha FC shocked everyone by winning the Super Cup to qualify for the AFC Cup group stage. This is the maiden continental exposure for the club.
Juan Ferrando’s men won the ISL in a very dramatic fashion and therefore people want the Mariners to take inspiration from that in the AFC Cup. The last time they featured in this tournament they bowed out of the Inter-Zonal playoff round. The Mariners lost 3-1 against Kuala Lumpur City. Hence, the fans want them to go further in the tournament.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant (earlier referred to as ATK Mohun Bagan) defeated Sri Lanka’s Blue Star SC and Bangladesh outfit Abahani Limited to qualify for the group stage. However, they suffered a major blow in their first group stage match when they lost 4-2 against Gokulam Kerala. It came as a major shock to almost everyone as people expected Gokulam to give a fight but they never expected them to be this dominant.
However, the Mariners won the remaining group stage clashes as a comeback sign. They defeated Bashundhara Kings and Maziya S&RC to progress to the knockout rounds. Their journey was cut short when they lost 3-1 against Kuala Lumpur City in the Inter-Zonal playoffs. Kuala Lumpur City eventually reached the finals but lost to Oman’s Al-Seeb.
With plenty of changes to their roster in the 2022-23 season and also many more additions happening in the current window, the Mariners will expect to go beyond the Inter-Zonal playoffs round. The side will be banking on their exceptional mix of foreign and Indian stars.
