Wednesday night brings us a battle between two teams with completely different objectives as FC Goa play host to Delhi Dynamos. Goa need to win this game to keep the pressure on the teams above them and to keep their playoff dreams alive. Delhi need to win to go above both NorthEast and ATK and move off the bottom of the table for the first time in a long time. Let’s get straight to the stats.
The Stats…
Goa go into the game sitting in 6th place on the same points as 7th place and six points off 4th place. They have two games in hand over 4th place Jamshedpur so winning this game will really keep them in contention for the playoffs. They are the second highest goalscorers in the league this season, with twenty-nine goals to their name. They have the second worst defensive record in the league, conceding a total of twenty-six goals. They head into the game in pretty bad form, winning one, losing three and drawing one in their previous five. They will need to pick up their form if they want to achieve their playoffs dream.
Delhi head into the game rock bottom of the league and on the same points as 9th place NorthEast United. They haven’t got the best goalscoring record this season, only managing fifteen goals this season. They have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding a massive total of thirty goals. However, they have put in better performances in recent games and they head into the game in a little bit of better form than their opponents, winning two, losing two and drawing one of their previous five games.
Previous Encounter…
The last time these two teams met was back in December 2017, the game ended 5-1 to Goa and Delhi were completely destroyed. Goa dominated proceedings from the first minute to the last and Delhi didn’t help themselves by being reduced to ten men on sixty-five minutes. Delhi didn’t look anything like a professional football team and fully deserved to be smashed by Goa.
I am sure Goa will be wanting a similar performance this time around and I am also sure that Delhi will be wanting to get revenge on Goa for the humiliation they caused in this match.
The Game Itself…
I am sure Delhi so not want a re-run of their previous encounter and I’m pretty sure that won’t happen this time around. Delhi look a decent side and from their recent performances, may cause Goa a problem, especially with Goa’s recent form.
This game could be a goal-fest as both teams are extremely poor at defending and Goa enjoying trying to just outscore their opponents. With both teams having something to play for, it should make for an interesting and entertaining match.
Key Player…
Delhi have been on the up recently and that can all be sourced back to their main striker Kalu Uche, he has managed to score five goals in his last four appearances and with Goa’s poor defensive record, I can see him adding a couple more to keep the streak alive.
However, it’s extremely difficult to ignore the fact that Goa have some fantastic players in their squad. One of these is Manuel Lanzarote, he is the soul of this team and every play flows through him. However, I have gone with his teammate, and it wasn’t a difficult decision, Ferran Corominas. He is currently the top goalscorer in the league and with how bad Delhi are on defence, it’s almost certain that he will find the net.
Finally…
With all this being said, I will simply leave you with this. When I first joined the team here I didn’t have a favourite team, but since writing about the league, I am finding myself falling for Delhi more and more each week. I do love an underdog story and if they can finish above NorthEast and/or ATK then I will be extremely happy.
Anyway, I truly believe Delhi could cause an upset here but I am going with a close 2-1 win for Goa. I think the fact that Goa score for fun against most teams will play a big factor in this game and Delhi may have to rely on other results going their way.
