Bottom dwellers Odisha take on Bengaluru FC in ISL

The Juggernauts are yet to win any of their games in the league this season.

Odisha FC will face a confident Bengaluru FC in their next Indian Super League 2020/21 fixture. The outfit are yet to win their first game of the season, after losing 1-0 to FC Goa in their last outing. The upcoming challenge will be even tougher given the form of their next opponents. 

Bengaluru FC come into this fixture on the back of an impressive 4-2 victory over Kerala Blasters. The team silenced the critics who claimed BFC are lacking attacking flair. 

With contrasting form, the two sides will look to get the best result out of the fixture, to please their fans and keep heading towards their respective targets for the campaign.

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The Stakes

Stuart Baxter’s men have struggled to combine in any department on the pitch. The defensive looks frail, midfield looks disjointed and the attack has failed to connect. The team are languishing in the bottom places and have failed to win their first game of the season so far. 

The onus is on the manager and the players to kick-start their campaign and get some points on the board. Avoiding defeat and getting at least one point against a strong BFC team should be the minimum they should aim to achieve.

The Blues showed their attacking potential last time around by scoring four goals. Carles Cuadrat has no shortage of attacking depth at his disposal. The way BFC decimated KBFC, there was a clear show of intent.

Bengaluru will look to build on that performance and secure three points in a professional manner. With a stronger side on paper, Cuadrat will hope to climb up in the points table and take their place among the top teams in the current season.

Team News

Odisha FC

Stuart Baxter has struggled to find his preferred starting lineup due to injuries and lack of fitness for key players. Marcelinho played a short cameo against the Gaurs due to an ongoing shoulder injury and will remain a doubt. Vinit Rai could start again after making a comeback. 

Bengaluru FC

Carles Cuadrat has a full-strength squad available to him, which will certainly improve their chances of getting a victory. He might even stick with the same starting XI, considering the impact the players had in a 4-3-3 setup. 

Also Read: Indian Super League 2020-21: Five things we learned in Gameweek 5

Probable Lineups

Odisha FC: Arshdeep, Taylor, Tratt, Antonay, Sarangi, Rai, Alexander, Jerry, Nandhakumar, Marcelinho, Mauricio. 

Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet, Khabra, Chaudhari, Juanan, Kuruniyan, Wangjam, Paartalu, Dimas,

Silva, Opseth, Chhetri.

Head-to-Head

Odisha FC and Bengaluru FC have met two times and on both occasions, it's the Blues who have triumphed. Their first meeting ended in a 1-0 win and the last clash finished 3-0 in BFC’s favour. 

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Man to Watch

Diego Mauricio (Odisha FC)

The only player who has found the back of the net for the Juggernauts this season has been Diego Mauricio. His brace against Jamshedpur earned the team a draw and the only point earned so far.

He seems to be the likeliest source of goals for Baxter’s men, who are otherwise struggling to combine in the final third. The Brazilian works extremely hard off the ball when he is pressing. His workrate is a huge asset and his physicality will be troublesome for the opposition’s defenders to deal with.

Dimas Delgado (Bengaluru FC)

One of the keys to BFC’s success is their midfield domination. Dimas Delgado alongwith Erik Paartalu is one of the best midfield pairings any team has. With the Australian doing the dirty work of intercepting passes and winning duels, it's Delgado who is the orchestrator with the ball.

The Spaniard is the playmaker who finds players using his impeccable passing accuracy. He feeds the ball to runners in the channels and is a constant threat from set-pieces. The midfielder chipped in with a goal against KBFC as well and Odisha will need to stop him from manipulating the ball, or it could be very harmful for them.

Did You Know?

• Cleiton Silva had 113 goal contributions (97 goals and 16 assists) in 157 total games in the Thai league.
• Bengaluru FC are joint top scorers in the ISL with 9 goals scored as of yet, while Odisha are joint-worst with only 2 goals to their name.
• Odisha FC has the worst crossing statistics in the league, with only 40 crosses into the box.

Telecast

The match between Odisha FC and Bengaluru FC is set to be telecast live 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.

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