Friday night sees top of the table Bengaluru play host to playoff contenders FC Goa. This game is set up to be a blockbuster game with both teams in good form and they both love scoring goals. Bengaluru could stretch the gap to eight points and Goa could take a play-off place with a win, so both teams will be up for a win. Let’s get right to the stats.
The Stats…
Bengaluru go into the game sitting comfortably into position, five points clear of 2nd place. They have the second-best goalscoring record in the league, with twenty-eight goals across the season, their defensive record isn’t too bad either as they have only conceded fifteen goals this season.
They go into the game in fantastic form, winning four and losing one of their previous five in the league. They go into the game with four consecutive wins and no losses in six so it’s safe to say they won’t be too worried about recent performances.
FC Goa go into the game sitting in 6th place, at the time of writing, and are two points outside the play-off places. They have the best goalscoring record in the league, scoring an incredible twenty-nine goals this campaign. However, their defensive record is the second worst in the league, conceding twenty-three goals this campaign. This is something they will need to improve on.
They go into the game in decent form, winning two, losing two and drawing one of their previous five. Their last five games have had over 2.5 goals and their last six has seen both teams score. Incredibly, they haven’t kept a clean sheet in eighteen games. That’s astonishing and I can’t see it being broken against a team like Bengaluru.
Previous Encounter…
The last time these two met was back in November 2017. The game was a contender for game of the season as it ended 4-3 to Goa, with Bengaluru being reduced to ten men. The game had Corominas bagging a hattrick, Miku bagging a brace and Bengaluru keeper Gurpreet Singh seeing red. Hopefully the game this time around can be the same or at least similar
Goa dominated possession with 54%, however, it was Bengaluru who had the most chances, having fifteen shots compared to Goa’s ten. Both teams will be hoping for an easier game this time around, that’s for sure.
The Game Itself…
I expect a fast-paced, all-out brawl to occur when these two sides meet on Friday. Both have brilliant attacking prowess and Goa struggle to stop teams scoring. Hopefully, it’s exactly like the last game and all fans are entertained by the game.
I expect Goa to have a little more of the ball but not too much. Bengaluru aren’t the type of team to be dominated and so that’s why the game will be so open. Another factor to consider is the astonishing clean sheet stat for Goa, if Bengaluru do not score, they deserve to have points deducted.
Key Player…
I am going to break a rule for this games key player award and give it to a player from each team, just because I can’t see a player dominating the game and causing the most bother for their opponent.
One player to get an honourable mention is Manuel Lanzarote. He is a brilliant number ten, who not only pops up with a goal every so often but has an incredible partnership with Corominas. Speaking about Corominas, he is my choice for key player for Goa. The guy is a fantastic goalscoring striker who struggles to not find the net in most games. He got two goals in Goa’s previous game and I can see him popping up with at least one in this game.
Now onto Bengaluru and the player I am giving the honourable mention to is Miku. He has a brilliant skill to finding the net, especially when it is least expected of him. He also seems to score quite a bit, even with Sunil Chhetri as his partner. Talking of Chhetri, he is my choice for key player for Bengaluru. The guy is a machine for Bengaluru and a legend in terms of the league, whenever he has a good chance, expect him to score and he helps so much off the ball for Miku to thrive.
Finally…
With all this being said, I will simply leave you with this. I expect the game to be free-flowing, attacking football from both sides. I can’t expect this to be just a one-goal game, and I can see either team just nicking a win in a goal-fest of a game. Now I have said this, it’ll be a boring 1-0 win and everyone will disregard what I have to say in the future.
