Friday Night sees high-flying Bengaluru play host to Avram Grant’s underperforming NorthEast United. This should be an easy game for Bengaluru on first look but Grant has got his side playing solid football and has improved their form. Bengaluru will want to win this game and claim back top spot, but I suspect Grant’s team will not be easily pushed over and they could produce another upset.
The Stats…
Once again, I am probably going to bore you with some pre-match stats but hey, I’m a stats man, that’s what I do.
Bengaluru currently sit 2nd in the league, however, the was written before the ATK/Chennaiyin game so the table could be different. They currently boast a cracking record of seven wins and four losses, shockingly they haven’t drawn a single game this season, in the league that is. In their past five games, they have won three, drawn one and lost one.
They have managed to score a total of twenty-one goals in the league this season, which is very impressive. Seven of these twenty-one goals have come in the previous five games, so they are coming into the game knowing how to score.
Avram Grant’s team come into the game today in a decent enough form for their league position, winning two and losing three of their previous five. Overall, they sit second bottom of the league, managing just three wins, one draw and 6 losses in the league this season. They are the joint lowest scoring team in the league this season, with seven goals over ten games just like ATK.
However, Avram Grant has turned the side around since taking over and the previous result shocked everyone as they beat high-flying Chennaiyin 3-1. The performance was incredible, and to a fan who didn’t know the league table, NorthEast looked the team at the top of the league.
However, there are negatives for NorthEast, they haven’t kept a clean sheet in seven games and they have been first to concede in five of their last seven games.
Previous Encounter…
The last time these two sides met was back in December 2017, Bengaluru came out on top with a 1-0 away win, thanks to a Miku goal. Bengaluru dominated possession with 57% over the course of the game. However, it was NorthEast who came out on top with shots and shots on target. They accumulated a total of twenty, yes twenty, shots but failed to get sixteen of them on target, which is shocking. Bengaluru took the game thanks to them taking their chances and NorthEast were left ruing the chances they missed.
That’s all I can say on their previous meeting as the game was very entertaining, and as a neutral fan, I only hope the game on Friday is much better.
The Game Itself…
Friday’s game will hopefully be better than their previous meeting and I hope both teams really go out and play some good football. Unfortunately, that’s what I want every week and I hardly get it. Realistically, NorthEast will look to do exactly the same to Bengaluru as they did to Chennaiyin. They will sit back, soak up every bit of pressure and hope to really hurt their opponents on the counter-attack.
Bengaluru will look to dominate the proceedings and finish off their chances, just like they normally do. However, NorthEast will be a hard team to break down and can easily cause an upset just like they did against Chennaiyin.
Star Player…
This is quite a difficult one to pick this time out as there are three players really making a claim. I could have chosen the reliable Bengaluru striker Miku, especially with him scoring in the previous game. Another to make a real claim for the title is NorthEast winger Doungel. He scored a hattrick last time out and could be seriously motivated for the game.
However, I have gone with Bengaluru’s experienced striker Sunil Chhetri. He scored two fantastic goals last time out, including a brilliant penalty. He also provides brilliant support for Miku and often finds himself providing chances for his teammate.
Finally…
Jake has allowed me to do the majority of the previews permanently now, so I can save you from his cheesy ending for a very long time.
I will simply leave you with this, I expect Bengaluru to impress and beat NorthEast 2-1, however, Grant’s side will not be an easy pushover. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see NorthEast cause another upset as Avram Grant has definitely made NorthEast a better side already.
