AIFF Super Cup 2025-26: Bengaluru FC ready for Mohammedan SC challenge; Kerala Blasters open campaign against Rajasthan United

Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza lamented the lack of proper preparation but said his boys were ready for the challenge ahead of their AIFF Super Cup opener against Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Thursday.

«We started the season or preparation in September – something that is not that fun, not good for the players or for a professional club. But it is what it is. Finally we were able to start more or less on September 15,» Zaragoza told reporters before the match.

«That means we had about six to seven weeks, excluding the weeks when the players were in national teams. But I am happy with what I have seen in training, the friendlies and how the team has prepared. We are ready to compete.»

Bengaluru FC were among the many Indian Super League (ISL) clubs to halt their preparations for the 2025-26 season due to the uncertainty surrounding the men’s top flight this season. And after the Supreme Court’s ruling in September, all but one ISL club – Odisha FC – have started operations.

Up against the Blues is Mohammedan Sporting, a team struggling with finances and on the brink of closure due to non-payment of salaries to some of its players and staff. The unrest has led to the Black Panthers arriving in Goa with their reserve team, making it a battle between David and Goliath.

However, Bengaluru will be careful not to underestimate their opponent as they were knocked out in the previous Super Cup by I-League side Inter Kashi and had lost to Mohammedan Sporting the last time the two sides met in Calcutta.

«We want to play more direct football, overcome lines faster and attack the goal with fewer passes,» Zaragoza said. «Last season we were solid defensively, but we had to create more chances and finish better. That’s what we focused on in preparation.»

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Earlier in the day, Kerala Blasters will open its 2025-26 Super Cup season against Rajasthan United in what will be the first-ever meeting between the teams at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim.

Finishing in the top half of the league, Rajasthan restored Vikrant Sharma – who had helped the side gain promotion to the I-League – as head coach last month and will be looking for a similar fairytale in Goa this time.

The Blasters, on the other hand, have sorely missed former head coach Ivan Vukomanovic and will be counting on new coach David Catala to steer their boat to safety.

The team has signed four new foreign recruits this summer – Dusan Lagator, Juan Rodriguez, Tiago Alves and Koldo Obieta – and hopes their synergy with striker Noah Sadaoui and captain Adrian Luna can take the side to its first ever success.

«In this short competition, the main goal is to secure all three points from the start. We have to see what the pitch and weather conditions are like and adapt to them, but we want to play good and attacking football,» Luna said before the match.

“Regardless of who is called the favorite, in the end it is 11 against 11. We have to show a strong personality, a strong belief in the team and a winning mentality to start this season as strong as possible.”

Published on October 29, 2025