Indian Super League: Game Week 7
Fatorda Stadium, Goa
2 November, 2024
FC Goa will host Bengaluru FC at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa in the Indian Super League for game week 7. Bengaluru are the table topper in ISL currently. Who will be the winner after 90 minutes?
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FC Goa has been terrible this season and has left the fans frustrated, thus making the gate attendance shrink at the home games. The matches have not been as strong as expected, and now it becomes tough to get a playoff spot. For Manolo Marquez, though, he believes his squad can make a comeback on a strong run.
The Blues will be a test match for them, and they need to give their best shot to come out with a good result. On the brighter side of things for the Gaurs is that they do not have any injury concerns. FC Goa can, hence, begin with their full strength. Despite their performance being mixed so far, FC Goa's attacking statistics have been promising, and they have had the highest average ball possession in the league at 58.3%. They also create enough scoring chances, with 15.7 shots and 5.3 corners per match on average.
Armando Sadiku has been the standout here, scoring six goals for himself, while Borja Herrera has chipped in with four. On the other hand, the solidity needed for Gaurs on their end has to improve drastically since they have managed to achieve only 14.8 clearances and 2.3 saves per game while averaging 13 tackles and 7.7 interceptions. FC Goa has to mix the attack flair with more defensive vigilance to return to its winning ways.
FC Goa Predicted XI
L Kattimani(GK); U Singh, Odei, S Jhingan, J Gupta (Defenders); R Borges, C McHugh; B Singh, B Herrera, BD Fernandes (Midfielders); D Drazic (Forward)
Bengaluru FC Form
The Blues have had an excellent start to their ISL campaign, winning five out of six matches. Success for them comes in the form of an attractive attacking style of play alongside impressive adaptability, thus allowing them to adjust to the situations presented based on the opponents. They are, at present, considered to be the strongest team in the league, and they want to maintain their unbeaten record in the upcoming games.
One of the key reasons for their success has been consistency and good squad health, with no injury concerns. But the test for them is yet to come, as they play against the Gaurs in the next match. Every game played against FC Goa away is a difficult affair, especially with the quality of attacking Gaurs that can cause trouble.
Statistically, the Blues have an average ball possession of 55.3% in the league table. A bit of an upset as they have faced the fewest shots per game at 10.2 while getting the least corners per game at 3.3 yet netted 11 times. For their attacking force, Edgar Mendez and Sunil Chhetri have all netted the ball thrice, being quite an important addition in their book. Defensively, they have been commendable too by averaging as many clearances as they do save, at 18.5 and 3.5 respectively in every match, while clearing up with 14 winning tackles and 7.2 interceptions. They will be needing to maintain their defensive discipline while being clinical in front of the goal.
Bengaluru FC Predicted Playing XI
G Sandhu (GK); N Poojari, R Bheke, A Jovanovic, N Singh (Defenders); S Chhetri, A Noguera, P Capo, S Wangjam (Midfielders); V Venkatesh, E Mendez
FC Goa Vs Bengaluru FC Expert Prediction
Benguluru FC, this season, surely has been the revelation form. With Zaragoza's coaching at the helm, they've shown quite a high intensity and accuracy to their games, thereby becoming the champions of the league. How Zaragoza organized both the defense and the offense has indeed helped them stay as an aggregate force to be reckoned with in the game. The team looks as cohesive a unit as there could be going through this stretch.
FC Goa, led by coach Manolo Marquez, suffered from poor expectations. There is some wonderful football there and a possession-heavy style of play, but sometimes they run short on converting domination to results, and frustrations boil over among the fans.
The given momentum and depth Bengaluru FC has shown till now, they look strong favourites to take the entire points home. However, in the game, as Blues will be combining so well in terms of strategic approach with attacking style to prove them stronger, at least one should not negate completely the possibility of Gaurs to pull out any upset for themselves. It would be a contest, wherein the Gaurs must deliver their best shot at a high-flying Bengaluru side.