Welcome to Sportstar's highlights of this evening's Bengaluru FC vs Odisha FC Indian Super League (ISL 2021-22) clash being played at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Goa.
That was all for the night. We will be back tomorrow when Mumbai City FC plays SC East Bengal. Thanks for tuning in and take very good care of yourselves.
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Match Report: ISL 2021-22: Bengaluru keeps playoff hopes alive after a 2-1 over Odisha
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Updated Stats Table: ISL 2021-22: Kerala Blasters' Gill set to win Golden Glove after ATK Mohun Bagan is eliminated
7:15 pm: What are the coaches saying?
6:50 pm: The last time the two sides met, Odisha FC walked home with three points -- its first win against the Blues ever. In case you missed it, we have it covered for you.
Read the highlights here:Odisha FC vs Bengaluru FC Highlights
6:32 pm: Confirmed Line-ups are out!
Bengaluru FC Starting XI: Lara Sharma (GK), Naorem Roshan Singh, Pratik Chaudhari, Alan Costa, Namgyal Bhutia, Bruno Silva, Ajay Chhetri, Danish Farooq, Udanta Singh, Prince Ibara, Cleiton Silva.
Odisha FC Starting XI: Kamaljit Singh (GK), Hector Ramirez (C), Victor Mongil, Lalruathhara, Sahil Panwar, Isaac Chhakchhuak, Thoiba Singh, Javier Hernandez, Jonathas Cristian, Nandhakumar Sekar
6:15 pm: HEAD-TO-HEAD: The two sides have met five times in the past and Bengaluru FC has won thrice, while Odisha has managed to win just once, which came in the first leg this season. The remaining fixture has been a 1-1 draw.
6:00 pm: Here is how we think the two sides will line up tonight!
Bengaluru FC Predicted XI: Lara Sharma (GK), Yaya Banana, Alan Costa, Namgyal Bhutia, Parag Shrivas, Bruno Silva, Suresh Wangjam, Danish Farooq, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri (C), Cleiton Silva.
Odisha FC Predicted XI: Arshdeep Singh (GK), Hector Ramirez (C), Gaurav Bora, Hendry Antonay, Sahil Panwar, Isaac Chhakchhuak, Thoiba Singh, Javier Hernandez, Jonathas Cristian, Aridai Suarez, Redeem Tlang
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MATCH PREVIEW
With hopes of qualifying for the semifinal playoffs hanging by a thread, Bengaluru FC will want nothing less than three points when it meets Odisha FC at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Monday.
The twin defeats to Hyderabad FC and NorthEast United FC have left Marco Pezzaiuoli’s men in sixth place (23 points from 17 matches), four points adrift of fourth-placed Kerala Blasters, despite having played a game more. One more loss will virtually eliminate the side from the race.
“We need to improve, that’s obvious,” said coach Pezzaiuoli. “Because if you see the last game, we played good for 20 minutes and then in the next 20, we gave the game to NEUFC. The same happened in the second half. We scored first but then conceded two goals. We need to be more dominant and press more.”
BFC will welcome left-back Roshan Naorem, who has assisted six goals this season, after a suspension, but it will miss goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu through illness and midfielder Suresh Wangjam because of ankle trouble, which is most likely to end his season. Ashique Kuruniyan and Jayesh Rane are yet to recover from injuries.
RELATED | ISL 2021-22: NorthEast United FC fights back to clinch 2-1 win against Bengaluru FC
Like the 2018-19 champion, Odisha too has an outside chance of sneaking into the top-four, played as it is just one point below BFC. But it has won only one of its last six outings and will be eager for a repeat of the win it recorded against BFC earlier in the season, a convincing 3-1 triumph.
“I think they will be in the same situation as us,” said coach Kino Garcia. “We were thinking of beating Chennaiyin FC [last match], but couldn’t. I suppose they were expecting to defeat NorthEast, but they lost.”
“So, both teams want to come back. We want to make a good match. We want to secure the points. And for us, it is a big motivation to beat Bengaluru FC again in the same season.”
Odisha will be banking on striker Jonathas Cristian, who has scored in each of the last five matches.
“He’s finally settled down in the league and showing his quality,” Garcia said. “He is feeling comfortable and doing a great job.”
Where can you watch the match?
