Winning 13 out of 18 matches in the league stage last year was the ideal start to the ISL that Bengaluru would have hoped for. The Blues then went on to thrash Pune City FC 3-1 over the two legs of the semi-final but suffered a surprise defeat at the hands of Chennaiyin FC in the summit clash. Following yet another trophy in the shape of the inaugural Super Cup, Roca walked away from the club citing personal reasons and the club announced assistant manager Carles Cuadrat as the man incharge in July. After defeats in the AFC Cup against Altyn Asyr, the real test now awaits Cuadrat as he takes on Chennaiyin in their season opener on September 30.

Defence

The JSW-owned football club decided to rope in young goalkeepers Soram Anganba and Aditya Patra as back-ups for India international Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Anganba has been brought in from Mohun Bagan but lacks the experience of playing in major tournaments as does Patra, who hasn't played a single ISL or I-League game in his career. Sandhu, who was credited with 46 saves last season, is ready to take up greater responsibility this time around but in case of an injury, the club might be in a spot of bother.

While BFC decided to retain the services of Rahul Bheke, Harmanjot Khabra, and Nishu Kumar at the back, the Bengaluru fans will be pleased with the return of right-back Rino Anto, who is the proud owner of one of the best chants in Indian football. With John Johnson moving to ATK, the Albert Serran have been brought in to secure the backline for the upcoming season and Bengaluru will hope that he can forge a partnership with the ever-reliable Juanan to recreate the defensive identity that took them to the final last year. Gursimrat Singh Gill from North East United FC, Sairuat Kima from Jamshedpur FC and Asheer Akhtar will also be a part of a strong and deep defensive line.

Midfield

The midfield duo of Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu, who accounted for four goals and five assists last season to go with their defensive performances, will return in the heart of the Bengaluru midfield. The biggest acquisition for the Bengaluru based franchise has to be the acquisition of Kean Lewis who played a big part in taking Delhi and Pune to the playoffs in the last two seasons. But Lewis is not the only star to make his way to the Garden City with the likes of the Chencho Gyeltshen, nicknamed Bhutanese Ronaldo, and Xisco Hernandez joining Udanta Singh as a part of a strong wing contingent.

They have also roped in youngsters Ajay Chhetri and Altamash Sayed to their senior team and the duo will back up Boithang Haokip and Robinson Singh who are likely to start as substitutes. With Cuadrat mostly preferring the 4-4-2 formation, the competition among the ranks is only going to help Bengaluru become better this year.

Attack

Along with having one of the best backlines and midfield in the ISL, the two-time I-League winners also boast of arguably the best forward line in the competition. With the likes of skipper Sunil Chhetri and Nicolas Fedor aka Miku, BFC is assured of goals from their forward line this time as well. Last season, the duo had contributed 29 off the 40 goals that the club scored last season and their form in front of goal will be key in deciding where the Blues end up at the end of the year. The duo will be back by bu Sembi Haokip who could only muster two appearances in the last edition.

Strengths and weaknesses

Bengaluru FC was knocked out of the AFC Cup after losing 5-2 on aggregate to Altyn Asyr from Turkmenistan and the pre-season has been a poor one for the club as well as they lost all their games. The side still has one of the best squads in the league and their strength lies in their attacking players - Sunil and Miku, who have a plethora of experience at the top level. Despite John Johnson leaving for ATK this season, Bengaluru still possess a backline that can prove to be a tough nut to crack for any team and with Gurpreet behind them, it would not be unrealistic to assume they could have the best defensive record for a second consecutive year. So where does the weakness lie? Believe it or not, it is the offence. If the either Chhetri or Miku go down with an injury, there isn’t too much on the bench to support them. But overall, like always, Bengaluru come into the event with the best squad and it should not surprise anyone if, at least in football, the Bengaluru fans can finally chant “e sala cup namde”.

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