FC Goa vs Mohun Bagan lineups, team news, prediction and preview

Mohun Bagan will face a tough test against the Gaurs.

Mohun Bagan look to maintain their unrelenting surge towards strengthening their lead at the top of the Indian Super League (ISL) table when they face a motivated FC Goa side on Friday (20 December).

The Mariners will have to grind out their sturdiest performance to outshine the Gaurs at the Fatorda Stadium and prove their quality in tough away games, while the hosts look to put a dampener on their bright form.

The Stakes

FC Goa

Manolo Marquez knows that his side needs to defeat Mohun Bagan to climb their way closer to the top ISL spot. The Gaurs can not only reduce their deficit from the Mariners to four points with a victory but also show their ability to beat the best teams in the ISL.

A win can turbo-charge the Gaurs title challenge heading into the second half of the season, but a loss can make it a surmounting task for them to dream of the ISL shield.

Mohun Bagan

Mohun Bagan will be eager to show that they have what it takes to win the tricky away games in their trip to face FC Goa. The Mariners have all the momentum behind them after their thrilling 3-2 win over Kerala Blasters recently and use their surging form to blow away the Gaurs.

Mohun Bagan can take a huge step forward in increasing their lead at the top of the table by defeating a challenger in FC Goa, but a draw or loss can invite their title challenges to sneak even closer to their top spot.

Team & Injury News

FC Goa

The Gaurs should have a fully fit unit available for this match.

Mohun Bagan

The Mariners are likely to miss midfielder Greg Stewart, who picked up a knee issue recently.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 8

FC Goa wins – 2

Mohun Bagan wins – 5

Draws – 1

Predicted Lineups

FC Goa (4-2-3-1)

Hritik Tiwari (GK), Boris Singh, Odei Onaindia, Sandesh Jhingan, Aakash Sangwan, Carl McHugh, Sahil Tavora, Udanta Singh, Ajay Chhetri, Dejan Dražić, Armando Sadiku

Mohun Bagan (4-2-3-1)

Vishal Kaith (GK), Asish Rai, Tom Aldred, Alberto Rodriguez, Subhasish Bose, Lalengmawia Ralte, Deepak Tangri, Manvir Singh, Dimitri Petratos, Liston Colaco, Jamie Maclaren

Players to Watch

Armando Sadiku (FC Goa)

A clash against his former side will be a lucrative one for Armando Sadiku, who looks to prove the Mariners wrong for letting him leave last summer. Sadiku has been one of Goa’s most prolific players in this campaign, with eight goals scored already.

He has been a tormenting figure for defenders with his physicality in the frontline, as well as his ability to sneak past defenders with smart off-the-ball runs. Sadiku will look to target the Mohun Bagan defenders by being an irritating figure in their backline, looking to link up threatening attacking moves and sneaking into the best areas. If Sadiku gets the right kind of service and can tap into his best finishing qualities, he can haunt his former side at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Jamie Maclaren (Mohun Bagan)

Even though Jamie Maclaren scored his fourth goal of the ISL campaign in the recent win over the Tuskers, he is still without a goal in an away game. The Australian forward is yet to inspire his side to a big win on the road, as he seems to struggle against intense away battles. It’s time for Maclaren to prove he can be a lethal product in tough away trips by troubling the FC Goa backline and helping his side unlock their rigid shape.

Maclaren will be intent on timing his runs to perfection to get past the defenders and into key goal-scoring areas. But he’ll need to be clinical with putting away whatever he gets in the final third to end his drought in away ISL games and finally inspire his side to a big win outside of the Salt Lake Stadium.

Did you know?

• Armando Sadiku is the third-highest scorer in the ISL this season so far with eight goals scored.
• Dimitri Petratos has created 30 chances for Mohun Bagan so far in the 2024/25 ISL campaign, the second-most for any player in the league.
• Vishal Kaith is the leader in the ISL Golden Glove race with six clean sheets to his name in 11 matches.

Telecast Details

The ISL match between FC Goa and Mohun Bagan will take place at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa on Friday (20 December). It will kick off at 7:30 PM IST.

The match will be broadcast live on the Sports 18 network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. International viewers can watch it live on the OneFootball app.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.