Kolkata, April 11 (IANS) With Bengaluru FC taking on a massive challenge of defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the final on Saturday, former India captain Sunil Chhetri has put out a message to their fans. He thanked the fans who he said brought them this far ahead of their clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK).

"I know a lot of you cannot be here, but don’t for one minute forget, that it is you who brought us till here. We’re lucky to be loved the way we are, and before things kick off, I just wanted to say that we love you too," Chhetri wrote in a post on Instagram.

In the pre-match press conference, Bengaluru FC Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza said, “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 playoff, and we are looking forward to the grand finale.”

His sentiment was echoed by BFC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who spoke fondly about his long association with the city. “As you know, my journey as a professional footballer started here, and I was very lucky to be getting opportunities to play matches from the beginning. I am grateful for the journey.

"If you get an opportunity to play big games, big finals, in front of big crowds as a player, it’s a great experience and I am lucky to be here for the match in Kolkata.” Gurpreet also reserved some special praise for the opponents, saying, “Mohun Bagan Super Giant have been the standout team this season, and there is no denying that, which is why they won the League Shield,” he added.

MBSG are the League Shield Winners, whereas Bengaluru FC finished third in the standings and then cruised past the challenges that fronted them in the eliminator and semi-final to make it to the summit clash.

It is a fourth ISL finals appearance for BFC in just eight seasons, while MBSG 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 very tight contest.

They have the chance to repeat that feat in front of a vociferous home crowd this time around, whereas Bengaluru FC will take confidence from their recent form to distort MBSG’s record of staying unbeaten at home thus far in the current campaign.