Bengaluru takes on Odisha in the Sunday night encounter of the Indian Football League to fix its issues following the downfall in performance. Meanwhile, Odisha would eye to attack struggling Blues to find the second victory of the season.
Match Timings: Jan 24, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
The sudden downfall changed everything for Bengaluru, and they are now in deep trouble. After sacking the head coach, the performance hasn’t been improved. Its last victory came against Odisha, the same opponent who will face them on Sunday. It’s been a month now since Bengaluru took three points. In the last outing, an injury-time strike spoiled all the efforts, and the Blues suffered the fifth defeat of the season. Albino Gomes also came between the victory. Blues struck the opening goal through Cleiton Silva, who netted his fourth goal of 2020-21. Bengaluru got another chance to take the lead again when Udanta Singh came up with a low cross. Another chance occurred through a free-kick, but Albino Gomes saved Sunil Chhetri’s shot. Gurpreet Singh allowed Kerala to equalise as Puitea sent the ball into an empty net. Blues could have taken a penalty when Sandeep Singh pushed Cleiton Silva to the ground. In stoppage time, Kristian Opseth passed the ball to Augustine through a long throw from Gurpreet. The substitute couldn’t gain this chance, and it cost the game when Kerala got the winner in the 5th minute of injury time.
Bengaluru could have scored more goals, but Vicuna’s strategy restricted its forward line. Blues desperately need a win here to better its position in the points table. With 13 points in the pocket, they are 4-points behind the playoff position. Since the last victory on December 17, Bengaluru lost five matches out of six, and one match was drawn. They conceded nine goals and scored only three during this run. One more loss will trouble its hope for the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Odisha are coming off a hard-fought draw with playoffs contender Hyderabad. The current picture is not better for this club, and they are still at the bottom. The recent success of Kerala and Bengal is assuring the bottom spot for Odisha. Hyderabad was in good form from the starting of the game, and they scored the goal in the 13th minute through Halicharan Narzary. Odisha goal-keeper Arshdeep Singh fumbled earlier, but this goal put Nizams ahead in the game. Liston Colaco and Rai took charge, but Odisha kept them silent with a tight defense. Arshdeep Singh made some fine saves against Colaco and Narzary to avoid the double lead in the first half.
Odisha equalised early in the second half when Diego Mauricio set a throw-in for Cole Alexander, and the South African sent the goal post Kattimani. Both sides fought hard, and Odisha missed out some chances too. Odisha had 40% of possession, and out of 13 shots, 5 shots were on target. Arshdeep Singh has also played a vital role for Baxter, who has made 32 saves from 9 matches and stands sixth in the list of most saves. Bengaluru have previously defeated Odisha, and in a head-to-head record in the competition, Blues have an edge with three wins, and Odisha have one win, which came in 2019.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Bengaluru
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Fran Gonzalez, Juanan, Parag Srivas, Rahul Bheke, Suresh Wangjam, Amey Morajkar, Cleiton Silva, Udanta Singh, Erik Paartalu, Sunil Chhetri
Current form: L D L L L
Previous match: 2-1 defeat to Kerala
Odisha
Arshdeep Singh; Jacob Tratt, Gaurav Bora, Mohd Sajid Dhot, Rakesh Pradhan, Vinit Rai, Cole Alexander, Jerry Mawihminghthanga, Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Manuel Onwu, Diego Mauricio
Current form: D L D W L
Previous match:
Key Players
Bengaluru
Cleiton Silva
4 goals & 1 assist in Indian Football League 2020-21
Sunil Chhetri
4 goals & 1 assist in Indian Football League 2020-21
Odisha
Diego Mauricio
6 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Cole Alexander
2 goals & 1 assist in Indian Football League 2020-21
