ISL final: Man United legend Rio Ferdinand reveals his favourite team in ATMB vs BFC final

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has declared his support for Bengaluru FC ahead of their Indian Super League final against ATK Mohun Bagan on Saturday. Ferdinand has shared a motivating message to Simon Grayson and Co insisting he will be rooting for the Blues in this crucial clash. Both teams have encountered significant ups and downs throughout the season before cementing a place in the summit clash.

Former Manchester United defender declares support for Bengaluru FC in the ISL final

Bengaluru FC have shared a video on their official Twitter handle where the former English international was seen sharing some valuable tips for Sunil Chhetri's side. Ferdinand, a friend of BFC manager Simon Grayson, compares Bengaluru's brilliant run with Manchester United's sensational form this season.

A message from @rioferdy5 to Simon Grayson and his Blues ahead of the #HeroISL final! ⚡️#NowWeAreHere 🔥 #WeAreBFC #ATKMBBFC ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/0AjpEZnomI

— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) March 17, 2023

Ferdinand said, "Simon and everybody at Bengaluru FC congratulations! huge game coming up. Wish you the best of luck. Since November it's 11 wins now. Man United stuff! Good luck to you guys. I will be watching and everybody else in the Indian Super League I'm here watching supporting you guys to continue the dream run. Simon and team, good luck," he signed off.

Bengaluru managed to stitch an 11-game winning run including the two victories in the ISL semifinal first and second legs and they could be on the verge of creating a piece of history in the final. Simon Grayson said, “It is the belief (which has got us to where we are now). Belief in myself, that I was doing the right things. Belief in the players, that they would understand that I was doing the right thing and get the results that they deserved. And then believe in the instructions and get the results themselves. It was a massive part for us.

"I'm no different now than when we lost three-four games on the trot. I'm still positive with the players. We don’t get too carried away and not get too low. That has been the big thing I have try to put across the players. We still have to be humble and hardworking. On Friday, in training and on Saturday in the game to achieve what we need to do. Confidence has played a big part as well."

Predicted Lineup

ATK Mohun Bagan

Vishal Kaith; Asish Rai, Pritam Kotal (C), Slavko Damjanovic, Subhasish Bose; Carl McHugh, Glan Martins; Manvir Singh, Hugo Boumous, Ashique Kuruniyan; Dimitri Petratos.

Bengaluru FC

Gurpreet Sandhu (C);  Aleksandar Jovanovic, Sandesh Jhingan, Bruno Ramires; Prabir Das, Bruno Silva, Rohit Kumar, Javier Hernandez, Suresh Wangjam, Roshan Naorem; Roy Krishna, Sivasakthi Narayanan