Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC will host Odisha FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Wednesday. The Juggernauts are currently seventh on the table with 21 points from 16 games, while the Blues sit third with 28 points from as many matches as the Sergio Lobera-coached team.
Odisha FC have won once and drawn twice in their last five games and will eye registering their first league double over Bengaluru FC, following their 4-2 victory in the reverse fixture on December 1, 2024.
Bengaluru FC, on the other hand, have struggled recently, losing their last home game 0-1 to Mohammedan SC on January 11, followed by a 1-1 draw to Hyderabad FC on the road. A loss in this match would mark their first back-to-back home defeats in over two years.
The Blues will look to bounce back and stay in the hunt for the first spot, though they now trail the top-placed Mohun Bagan Super Giant (36) by eight points (28), slightly undoing their impressive run in the earlier parts of the season. In their last five games, the Gerard Zaragoza-coached team have faced two defeats, as many draws, and a solitary victory, which has seen FC Goa beat them to the second spot, as the Gaurs are currently holding 30 points.
Bengaluru FC have scored thrice and conceded four times in their previous three encounters, where they have picked only a single point. It’s showing that they need to resurrect their organisations and setup on both ends of the field, especially against the league’s joint top-scorers Odisha FC, who have netted 31 times, with Diego Mauricio (7), Jerry Mawihmingthanga (4), and Mourtada Fall (4) leading the endeavours for them.
Odisha FC have scored exactly two goals in each of their last three ISL games. Another multi-goal performance would see them equal their longest streak of such games in the competition (four games between December 2019 and January 2020). Unfortunately for them, their defensive drawbacks mean that they have given away nine goals in this time period and won a single point.
Odisha FC have scored 96.8 per cent of their goals this season (30 out of 31) from inside the box. Bengaluru FC could consider strengthening their defensive unit within the 18-yard area to practically outnumber Odisha FC in that zone and restrict their ability to operate freely and find the back of the net.
The Blues have conceded in each of their last 11 ISL matches. Failure to keep a clean sheet in this game would set a new record for their longest streak without a clean sheet in the competition. Still, their terrific stretch of play earlier on in the season means that they have kept the third-most clean sheets (5) in the league thus far.
Despite their defensive concerns, Bengaluru FC have been efficient in attack, scoring 29 goals from an expected goals (xG) tally of 17.15, with an xG differential of +11.85, the highest in the league. Sunil Chhetri tops the leaderboard for them with 10 goals, as Ryan Williams and Edgar Mendez have netted five and four times respectively.
The two teams have faced each other 11 times in the ISL. Bengaluru FC have won five games, whereas Odisha FC have emerged victorious on four occasions. Two encounters have produced draws.
Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza expressed hope that his team will recover form on their home turf.
“We are now going to play at home with our supporters. We lost our last game here but we haven’t lost too many games here. With our mentality we want to take the three points,” he said.
Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera said that his team needs to find a fine balance in their tasks on both ends of the field.
“Sometimes, we need to be more clinical in the last third. However, my concern right now is not scoring goals, but instead finding balance between attack and defence,” he said.
(IANS)
