FC Goa will look to hold on to the momentum against a lowly Bengaluru FC when they cross swords in the 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday.
The game is a 21:30 hrs kickoff and promises to be a mouth-watering contest with both teams on the wrong side of the table, but not exactly in the same frame of mind.
Goa snapped a three-game losing streak to record their first win of the campaign against SC East Bengal in their previous encounter.
The Juan Ferrando coached Gaurs won 4-3 in a topsy-turvy game with Alberto Noguera netting a brace.
Goa have been shaky at the back but in the last match, the attack looked sharp with Edu Bedia joining the ranks and Jorge Ortiz also finding his mojo.
Bengaluru, on the contrary, lost their previous two games and haven’t looked in good shape.
Coach Ferrando, though, said Goa would not start as favourites as any team can win on a given day in this league.
“In this league, there is no favourite. Everybody has been watching the games and the results have been crazy. The most important team is to keep focus. We played like a team in the last game and we need to do that. The players are working hard as you can see,” he said.
Bengaluru lost to Hyderabad FC 0-1 in their last game and are placed ninth in the points table, one above Goa who are in tenth position.
Barring Cleiton Silva, the Blues have lacked the spark they usually have.
“We are getting better with every game. We need to defend better. We have conceded easy goals and that’s killing our style of play,” Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli said on the eve of the tie.
This is Bengaluru’s worst start of the season after five matches. They have currently picked up 4 points, the fewest they have managed at this stage of the season.
Also, talisman Sunil Chhetri is on 99 appearances and will become the first forward to make 100 appearances in the ISL if he features in the upcoming match.
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