Mohun Bagan Super Giant reached Jamshedpur on Wednesday for the first leg of the second semifinal of ISL-XI against Jamshedpur FC without two regular first-team players.
Midfielder Lalengmawia 'Apuia' Ralte and winger Manvir Singh could not recover in time from their injuries. Manvir was released from the national team camp before the international friendly against the Maldives on March 19 and Apuia picked up a leg injury during the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Bangladesh on March 25.
The second-leg will be at the Salt Lake Stadium on April 7, and it remains to be seen whether the duo regain match fitness before that.
Despite the duo's absence, Bagan have enough ammunition to rock Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Thursday.
The likes of Greg Stewart, Jason Cummings, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad and captain Subhasish Bose will give Khalid Jamil's men a tough time.
Bagan are unbeaten on the road in the previous six games, winning thrice, scoring 13 goals and conceding just three.
Avoiding a loss here will not only mark a club record for their longest such streak away from home in the league, but also enable them to enter the second and decisive leg in Calcutta high on confidence.
Jamshedpur FC have not secured a victory in their previous six matches against Bagan in the ISL, losing on four occasions. Another failure to bag a triumph will make it their longest winless run in front of any opponent in the competition.
Jamshedpur FC head coach Khalid outlined an optimistic perspective before the fixture.
“There are two legs to play and we are facing a very good team. We are positive, since we are playing at home, and we must think for a good result,” he said.
Bagan head coach Jose Molina affirmed his side’s commitment to win the ISL Cup.
“We are ready and we want to win the ISL Cup. We are absolutely happy with the season, but we want to win the Cup too,” he said.
Jamshedpur FC have scored the most goals (22) since the start of 2025, one more than Bagan (21), who are the highest scorers in the league with 47 strikes.
Jamshedpur FC and Bagan have faced each other 10 times in the ISL, with the latter winning five times and the Red Miners emerging victorious thrice. Two encounters have produced draws.