NorthEast United face Bengaluru FC in big test of credentials

The two sides are yet to register a defeat this season which makes the fixture all the more interesting.

After two consecutive draws against FC Goa and Hyderabad FC, Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat would have been relieved that his team took home three points against Chennaiyin FC, albeit fortunately. Sunil Chhetri’s penalty made the difference in a game that was tightly contested till the final whistle. 

The Blues are still trying to find fluency in their team as a result of a shortened pre-season for their key foreign contingent and bedding some of their new Indian signings into the team. 

On the other hand, their opponents have no such problems, as NorthEast United are sitting pretty in the top four of the Indian Super League (ISL) table, with two wins and two draws. Their forwards, Kwesi Appiah and Idrissa Sylla, have both notched two goals each. What is striking is that they have taken four points against two teams that are wedded to the idea of possession-based attacking football, in FC Goa and Mumbai City FC. This would be something that coaches Gerard Nus and Carles Cuadrat would keep an eye on prior to this game. 

The Stakes

Bengaluru FC need a convincing win against NorthEast United – one of the league’s high-flyers, to gather some much-needed momentum, as they inch towards the business end of the season. The Blues have looked a little toothless in attack, something that Cuadrat has attributed to the shortened pre-season and indicated that performances will improve as the campaign goes on. 

ALSO READ: Carles Cuadrat: We need to work on getting second goal & kill games off

NorthEast, on the other hand, will look to take advantage of the fact that Bengaluru’s core team is still finding their rhythm and that they are generally slow starters. 

Team News

Bengaluru left out Udanta Singh in their win against Chennaiyin, that allowed Deshorn Brown to lead the line with Chhetri and Cleiton Silva dovetailing the big frontman. Dimas Delgado’s inclusion into the starting XI gave the Southerners some much-needed fluidity in the middle of the park, complementing the bite of Suresh Wangjam. The second half of that game saw the team seeming to find some rhythm and that could see Cuadrat retain the same XI for this game as well. 

ALSO READ: Gerard Nus: It’s good to have many players fighting for one position

Meanwhile, Gerard Nus had indicated that there were a few injuries in the squad in his press conferences so far, but is more likely to field the same XI as the one that defeated SC East Bengal on Saturday. 

Head-to-Head

https://youtu.be/4v8nmuxUAhA

The force is truly with Bengaluru FC in this fixture, as they have been beaten by NorthEast United only once in the last six encounters. 

Probable Lineups

Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet (GK); Khabra, Juanan, Bheke, Ashique; Paartalu, Dimas, Suresh; Chhetri, Cleiton, Brown. 

NorthEast United FC: Gurmeet (GK); Ashutosh, Shereef, Lambot, Gurjinder; Lalengmawia, Camara, Machado; Meetei, Sylla, Appiah.

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Man to Watch

Suresh Wangjam

The 20-year-old did not leave a blade of grass uncovered in the 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC. That gave Dimas and Paartalu more freedom to venture forward and influence play. The tireless performance would have no doubt encouraged Cuadrat to retain the former India U-17 player as a key part of his plans for the season.  

Kwesi Appiah

The 30-year-old Ghana international knows where the goal is for his team and this is something that Gerard Nus would no doubt look to exploit against a Bengaluru defence that can be gotten at as indicated by Igor Angulo’s performance in the Blues’ ISL opener.  

Did You Know?

• Bengaluru FC have put 10 goals past NorthEast United in their last six encounters while conceding only four.   
• Bengaluru FC are the lowest ranked team for the number of shots taken this season (23), as opposed to 39 for NorthEast United, who are placed second. 
• Juanan is the only player with shots on target for Bengaluru FC (2) this season, while Sylla and Appiah both have had three and four shots on target respectively. 

Telecast

The live telecast of the match between Bengaluru FC and NorthEast United will be available on Star Sports 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 2 SD & HD (English), Star Sports Hindi 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 3 and several other regional languages. Live streaming of the match will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.