NorthEast United FC vs Bengaluru FC lineups, team news, prediction & preview

NorthEast United FC will be keen to hamper the Blues’ playoff chances significantly.

The Indian Super League (ISL) action will go up one more gear as NorthEast United FC will be playing hosts to Bengaluru FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. It will be the second time Shillong will play host to the Highlanders after their last outing against Mumbai City FC. 

The Blues played out a hard-fought draw in the reverse fixture courtesy of goals from Alberto Noguera and Ryan Williams cancelling Alaeddine Ajaraie’s spectacular brace. Both teams enter this game after convincing winning displays coincidentally over Jamshedpur FC in their last ISL outing. 

It is a must-win game for both sides, and the stakes for this encounter cannot be higher because ISL playoffs are fast approaching. The match week 23 fixture has enormous ramifications for both clubs, with only a point separating the sides in the ISL league standings.

The Stakes

NorthEast United FC

The Highlanders have improved leaps and bounds compared to last season but are still struggling with their habit of dropping points from winning positions. Dropping points from winning positions has haunted Juan Pedro Benali’s men. The Spaniard has overseen his team to respond well to setbacks this season and will be searching for consistency in upcoming games.

A win over Bengaluru will be a huge boost ahead of a challenging end-of-season run-in before the ISL playoffs. A loss will be far from ideal against an opponent who can potentially leapfrog them in the league table with a win.

Bengaluru FC

The Blues have struggled a lot in their last five games in the league and have only managed one win and one draw during that period. The previous match against Jamshedpur FC saw them grab all three valuable points courtesy of a brace from Alberto Noguera and a goal from Edgar Mendez.

Maintaining clean sheets has been a struggle for the Blues this season, with their last clean sheet coming in their previous game, ending a 14-game rut. Gerard Zaragoza will be desperate to finish the season strong and build on their last result with a well-earned win. However, a loss can significantly dent their playoff aspirations and potentially see them hoping for a favour from other results in the future.

ALSO READ: ISL 2024-25: Alaaeddine Ajaraie, Subhasish Bose highlight Matchweek 22 Team of the Week

Injury and Team News

Both sides will be fielding a fully fit side ahead of the high-stakes fixture in matchweek 19.

Head-to-Head Record

Total Matches played – 17

NorthEast United FC wins – 2

Bengaluru FC wins – 8

Draws – 7

Predicted Lineups

NorthEast United FC (4-2-3-1) 

Gurmeet Singh (GK); Redeem Tlang, Asheer Akhtar, Hamza Regragui, B Samte; Mohammed Ali Bemmamer, Mayakkannan; Macarton Louis Nickson, Alaeddine Ajaraie, Jithin MS; Guillermo Fernandes

Bengaluru FC (4-4-2)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Nikhil Poojary, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Rahul Bheke, Naorem Roshan Singh; Ryan Williams, Alberto Noguera, Pedro Capo, F Lalremtluanga; Edgar Mendez, Sunil Chhetri

Players to Watch

Alaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United FC)

The Moroccan forward has been the man for the big occasions for the Highlanders. He has broken multiple records while climbing to the top of the charts for the Golden Boot. Ajaraie has already surpassed Ferran Corominas’ record for the most number of goal contributions in a single season (23) and continues to be the star man.

He currently has 20 goals and five assists in his ISL and is expected to add more to his tally before the end of the season. 

Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)

The 40-year-old club captain has scored 11 goals for the season and will be hunting for more against the Highlanders. Despite going goalless in his last game against Jamshedpur FC, Chhetri stepped up when his team repeatedly called his number.

With his legendary career continuing to impress, the Blues striker still possesses the hunger in front of goal. Friday could prove to be yet another opportunity to show why he is still the man for the big occasions in Shillong.

Did You Know?

• When NorthEast United FC leads 1-0 at home, they win 70 per cent of their matches.
• When Bengaluru FC leads 0-1 away from home, they win 42 per cent of their matches.
• NorthEast United FC have failed to beat Bengaluru FC in their last five meetings.
• The average number of goals in meetings between NorthEast United FC and Bengaluru FC is 2.4.

Telecast

The NorthEast United FC vs Bengaluru FC game will be played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on February 21, 2025, at 7:30 PM IST.

Live telecast of the fixture will be available on Sports18 Network (Sports18 1/VH1 Channel).Live streaming of the game will be available on the JioCinema app. Viewers from abroad can use OneFootball to stream the game.

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