Delhi Are Looking To Close The Gap On NorthEast

Match Preview Indian Super League

Wednesday night sees the battle of the two bottom teams as 9th place NorthEast United play host to bottom of the league Delhi Dynamos. Looking at the table this game won’t get many excited but I’m actually looking forward to it. Normally the bottom sides, when they face off, produce better games then when the top teams face off, mainly because of their lack of quality turns into easy goals. We will have to wait until the game to see if it turns out this way but here’s everything you need to know going into the game.    

The Stats…    

NorthEast are coming into the game sitting in 9th place, three points above their opponents. They are also only two points behind 8th place ATK, so a win would take them up a place in the standings. They come into the game in horrific form, losing three, drawing one and winning one of their previous five.

They have the joint-worst goalscoring record in the league, having only managed ten goals all season. Their defensive record isn’t any better as they have conceded twenty-one goals all season, and this is why I think the game could be an interesting one.    

Delhi go into the game sitting rock bottom of the league, three points behind NorthEast and they have a game in hand, so a win would be huge for them. They don’t have the greatest goalscoring record in the league, having scored fourteen goals. They have the worst defensive record within the league, conceding thirty goals this season. Thankfully they are going against one of the worst attacking teams in the league so this may not come into account when they play.     

Previous Encounters…  

The last time these two teams met was back in December 2017. The game ended in a 2-0 win for NorthEast, which Avram Grant would love this time around as well. Delhi enjoyed the majority of the possession and had more shots than their opponents but NorthEast scored two early first-half goals, courtesy of Danilo Cezario and Marcinho.    

Delhi will be wanting to take advantage of their chances this time around and I am sure Avram Grant will set his side up to perform in a similar manner this time around. Delhi will have to pull something out the bag here.    

The Game Itself…   

This tie could go one of two ways. The first is that both teams play horrendously and the game ends in a boring 0-0 draw. The other way, and I’m sure most spectators will want this, is that both teams go on the attack straight away and it could turn into a goal-fest, with Delhi having the worst defensive record in the league and Delhi have been playing well recently and scoring some goals.   

I expect Delhi to enjoy more possession and will probably have a few more chances than their opponents but this is what Northeast want. They love to hit teams on the counter-attack and nick a 1-0 win, it hasn’t happened this season but who knows it could happen against Delhi.    

Key Player…   

This one is tough as both teams are lacking quality this season and this turns players, who have quality, into average players who may not affect the game in any way.   

I’ve only managed to come up with two players, one on each team. The first player that I thought of, but didn’t pick, was NorthEast’s Marcinho. He helps his team out with his creative attributes and if they play the counter-attack well, then expect the ball to go through him.    

The player I did pick for the game’s Key Player was Delhi’s star man Kalu Uche. On form, this guy can score a few goals in one game. He is coming off scoring four goals in the last three games, so you could say he is on form, shame his team’s defence isn’t.   

Finally…   

With all this being said, I will simply leave you with this. I expect a close game between the two with Delhi edging it 2-1. I’m predicting Uche to get at least one and that may be a penalty as he does love scoring them. However, now I have said this lump your money on NorthEast.

About the Author

Stephen Beavon
Just a young football fan who likes to get his opinion across to others. Love Birmingham City, although it is difficult at times.