Margao, Jan 18 (IANS) FC Goa will play East Bengal FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Sunday. The Gaurs are third in the table with 27 points from 15 games, having played three draws in their last five matches.
East Bengal FC are 11th in the standings, as they have garnered 14 points from 15 clashes. In their previous five encounters, they have secured two wins and a draw, but their couple of defeats have come on the bounce, coming into this encounter.
The Gaurs will look to extend their five-game winning streak against East Bengal FC. Jamshedpur FC beat them to the second spot after their 1-1 draw against the Mohun Bagan Super Giant and FC Goa will be looking to reclaim it in order to keep alive their ambitions of finishing the league stages at the top of the rankings.
East Bengal FC have produced the least goal-scoring chances in the league (126), whereas the Gaurs are sixth in this regard, having created 152 opportunities to find the back of the net. East Bengal FC’s paucity in this front reflects in the fact that only Hyderabad FC (11) and Mohammedan SC (8) have scored fewer goals than them (16) in the ISL this season. David Lalhlansanga, Dimitrios Diamantakos, and Vishnu Puthiya have been the joint top-scorers for them with three strikes each.
Armando Sadiku, on the other hand, has led the frontline for the Gaurs, netting nine times, followed by Brison Fernandes (5) and Borja Herrera (4). Their 29 goals are only bettered by NorthEast United FC, Odisha FC, and Mohun Bagan Super Giant, all of whom have 31 to their tally. FC Goa have dropped 13 points from winning positions this season, an area that East Bengal FC could aim to capitalise upon as they pursue improving their record of three points earned from losing positions.
FC Goa have scored 12 goals in their last five meetings with East Bengal FC, conceding just six in the process. The Gaurs are also on the verge of levelling their longest scoring streak in the competition, having found the net in each of their last 15 games.
Armando Sadiku is one goal away from becoming the 11th FC Goa player to score 10 goals in the ISL. Scaling this milestone would also make him the eighth player in the club’s history to net 10 or more goals in a single season.
While East Bengal FC are yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of any match this season, they have been prolific in the first 15 minutes of the second half, scoring seven goals, which is the second-highest in this timeframe. FC Goa will have to tighten their backline at the beginning of the second essay.
Hijazi Maher has been consistent defensively for East Bengal FC, averaging 1.36 interceptions per game this season. His six interceptions against Mohun Bagan Super Giant in their last game were the joint second-highest in a single match this campaign.
FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez accepted that the season has entered a challenging phase right now.
“Every game is very tough. We are in a moment where collecting points is very difficult. But, this is football. We need to be focused on ourselves,” he said.
East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon said that his team is gradually improving themselves and laying the groundwork for their success ahead.
“The team is slowly getting better. We need to find the foundation that allows us to have an idea of what East Bengal FC has always been and what we need to do moving forward,” he said.
–IANS
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