East Bengal will be hoping to draw some inspiration from its gritty showing against Mumbai City FC, when it takes on a rejuvenated Odisha FC in a ISL-10 fixture at home in Salt Lake Stadium on Friday.
East Bengal made steady progress in the last four matches where it remained unbeaten picking up a win while drawing the other three. Odisha FC had been in a comparatively better form winning four out of its last five matches while the remaining one was a draw at the same venue against the other Kolkata side, Mohun Bagan SG.
The match against Odisha FC, which is currently placed fourth in the league table with 17 points, will be important for East Bengal (placed seventh with 10 points) as it tries to get back into the top-six while testing its mettle against stronger opponents.
East Bengal amply showed its defensive abilities in the last few matches but its conversion rate has not been praiseworthy. The side’s Spanish coach Carles Cuadrat will be hoping that his team’s attack gets its act together against the neighbour from Bhubaneswar.
East Bengal has the required characters in its offensive array but none of them are able to deliver consistently when it comes to finishing the chances. With the likes of Spaniards Borja Herrara, Saul Crespo, Brazilian Cleiton Silva and the Indians Naorem Mahesh Singh and Nandhakumar Sekar available in the attack department, East Bengal can only hope that its offensive combination strikes the desired rhythm to convert opportunities into goals.
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“So far, we have been a good team in terms of defending set-pieces, but not in scoring. I hope that our plan in that aspect works tomorrow,” Cuadrat said ahead of the match.
”I think that any team can beat any other team in this league. So, honestly I think that we can win the next game. In all the games so far, we have come very close to getting a result. Sometimes we have won by a goal and sometimes have lost by a goal,” he added.
What will be making the contest interesting is the fact that none of the two sides have big injury worries and have almost the full roster available for selection. East Bengal however is likely to miss seasoned defender Harmanjot Khabra, who is still nursing an injury.
Odisha, also coached by a Spaniard in Sergio Lobera, would be eager to pick up a win and continue its march forwards in the league standings.
Odisha’s form has been greatly reliant on the performance of Fijian forward Roy Krishna and the versatile Moroccan Ahmed Jahouh. Considered a master tactician, Lobrea has been able to transform the side finding the right positions for his players and by that has brought an effective cohesiveness in the teamwork.
With the likes of Puitea, Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Isak Vanlalruetfela putting in nice efforts in the middle, Odisha has been a fairly successful side picking up five wins in nine appearances. The remaining four have been draws and losses in equal share.
“I am very happy with the team’s performance. We are performing well in all competitions, both in the AFC Cup and the ISL. It is a pleasure to return here (Salt Lake Stadium) to play again, especially considering the fond memories we have of our previous games at this stadium. However, we are fully aware that the next game presents a different set of challenges, and we are prepared for it,” Lobera said.
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