Preview: East Bengal eye consecutive win against NorthEast United

Both teams have struggled this season and are in the bottom half of the table.

East Bengal are set to host NorthEast United in an ISL 2022-23 fixture on Wednesday at Kolkata. After earning a well-deserved win against Kerala Blasters in their last outing, the Red & Golds will like to win another game in a row.

NorthEast United are currently on a three-game losing streak. They last won a point against FC goa in mid-January. In their previous fixture, the side lost to Jamshedpur FC by a margin of 2-0. Playing away from home, Wednesday's game will definitely be a difficult battle for the team that has won only a solitary game in the competition and is at the bottom of the table.

Under such circumstances, let us take a look at what the game has to offer.

The Stakes

East Bengal

East Bengal have won five games so far in the competition. They won their last game against Kerala Blasters and would like to win another home game to give some joy to their fans. The team perhaps does not have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. But this has instilled a nothing-to-lose attitude in the side, as seen in their previous outing. The side will thus like to repeat last Friday's heroics to earn three points from a shoddy NorthEast.

East Bengal are in ninth place with 15 points from 16 games. A win will take them to 18 points, which will be seven points behind the sixth-placed team.

NorthEast United

NorthEast United have had a disastrous season in which the team never looked in sync with each other. It has lost 15 games out of the 17 it has played. Any win at this moment will be a welcome thing for the Highlanders, who would like to end the season on a high. On Wednesday, thus, NorthEast united will like to start on the front foot and test the resilience of fellow strugglers East Bengal.

With one win and one draw, NorthEast United are placed in the last position with only four points from 17 games. No result will make any impact on their position on the points table.

Team News

For East Bengal, Mobashir Rahman and VP Suhair will miss the game due to suspensions. NorthEast United will welcome back their front-man Wilmar Jordan Gil.

Head-to-Head

East Bengal and NorthEast United FC have played five games against each other in ISL.

East Bengal – 1

NorthEast United – 3

Drawn – 1

Predicted Line-ups

East Bengal (4-4-2)

Kamaljit Singh (GK); Mohammad Rakip, Sarthak Golui, Ivan Gonzalez, Jerry Lalrinzuala; Sumeet Passi, Souvik Chakrabarti, Alex Lima, Naorem Mahesh Singh; Jake Jervis, Cleiton Silva

NorthEast United (4-4-2)

Arindam Bhattacharya (GK); Alex Saji, Gaurav Bora, Aaron Evans, Gurjinder Kumar; Emil Benny, Joseba Beitia, Pragyan Gogoi, Jithin MS; Wilmar Jordan, Romain Philippoteaux

Player to Watch

Cleiton Silva (East Bengal)

The player with the joint-highest number of goals in the league is East Bengal's Cleiton Silva. As usual, he will be the most crucial player for East Bengal if the Red & Golds seek to get three points from the game. He scored in their last outing against Kerala and looked threatening on many occasions. On Wednesday's game too, fans will expect him to combine with English striker Jake Jervis and perform in a similar manner.

Wilmar Jordan (NorthEast United)

The most in-form player for NorthEast United in the last few weeks has been their new signing Wilmar Jordan. He is back after serving a two-game suspension. He has score five goals in nine games so far. With sharp movements and a strong physical presence, he is a threat to any defence.

With nothing to lose in the remaining few fixtures of the league, Wilmar Jordan and co shall go all-out to get something from the game. If his team can support him well, it will not be surprising to see Wilmar find the net on Wednesday.

Did You Know?

• VP Suhair of East Bengal played for NorthEast United last season. He scored four goals and provided two assists for the Highlanders.
• East Bengal's 3-1 victory over NorthEast in the reverse fixture was the first time East Bengal defeated NorthEast in the ISL.
• Hira Mondal of NorthEast United played for East Bengal last season.

Telecast

The match between East Bengal and NorthEast United will take place at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, popularly known as the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, on February 8 (Wednesday). The kick-off time is at 7:30 pm IST. The match will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network. Disney+HotStar and JioTV will also stream the match.