Indian Football League

BFC vs NEUFC, Match Number 2

Preview

After a horrible last season and after failing to qualify for the next round in the AFC Asian Cup, Bengaluru had to shake things up in the camp and so did they. On the other hand, under the guidance of Khalid Jamil, the NorthEast team has played some brilliant football and even reached the semi-finals stage last season. That will give them a lot of confidence going forward into the tournament but some of their key players from last season are no longer part of the club. Thus, things might get rough in the middle for the Highlanders.

Before challenging Northeast in the GMC, Marco Pezzaiuoli said to the press, “NorthEast United are a good team with strong players and a coach who motivates them from the sidelines. They reached the semifinals last year, and as much as we do not wasn’t to look back on past results, we must respect them as an opponent”. He added, “They have a lot of players with quality, and we will have to do well against them”.

NorthEast however is not the same team anymore. Apuia was the soul of the team but the youngster left the club and joined the defending champions, Mumbai this season. Hernan Santana will thus be key for the Highlanders as he needs to control the pace of the game and distance the game in order to stop Sunil Chhetri and company.

Like promised, Bengaluru changed their core group other than Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Their performance was not noteworthy but gradually improved with time in the AFC Asian Cup. If that was the trailer then Bengaluru should do well and fight for a spot in the semis. They have got the talent and only with a bit of precision, the team can do well in the tournament.

 Squad - BFC

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lara Sharma, Sharon Padattil 

Defenders: Pratik Chaudhari, Wungngayam Muirang, Ajith Kumar, Parag Shrivas, Alan Costa, Sarthak Golui, Yrondu Musavu-King

Midfielders: Suresh Wangjam, Ajay Chhetri, Ashique Kuruniyan, Namgyal Bhutia, Naorem Roshan Singh, Biswa Darjee, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Akashdeep Singh, Rohit Kumar, Jayesh Rane, Danish Farooq, Bruno Ramires, Iman Basafa

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Edmund Lalrindika, Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Leon Augustine, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Prince Ibara, Harmanpreet Singh, Bidyashagar Singh

Squad - NEUFC

Goalkeepers: Mirshad Michu, Nikhil Deka, Sanjiban Ghosh, Subhasish Roy

Defenders: Gurjinder Kumar, Jestin George, Mashoor Shereef, Mohamed Irshad, Nabin Rabha, Tondonba Singh, Patrick Flottmann, Provat Lakra

Midfielders: Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha, Federico Gallego, Gani Nigam, Hernan Santana, Imran Khan, Joe Zoherliana, Khassa Camara, Pragyan Medhi, Pragyan Gogoi, Sehnaj Singh

Forwards: Deshorn Brown, Laldanmawai Ralte, Lalkawpuimawia, Manvir Singh, Mathias Coureur, Rochharzela, Suhair Vadakkepeedika, William Lalnunfela

BFC vs NEUFC Predicted Playing XIs

Bengaluru FC

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Yrondu Musavu-King, Ajith Kumar, Pratik Chaudhari, Alan Costa, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Jayesh Rane, Iman Basafa, Udanta Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Cleiton Silva

NorthEast United

Subhasish Roy, Mashoor Shereef, Mohamed Irshad, Patrick Flottmann, Provat Lakra, Federico Gallego, Hernan Santana, Imran Khan, Khassa Camara, Deshorn Brown, Suhair Vadakkepeedika

Match Prediction

Bengaluru should get the win. Expect NorthEast to give them a strong fight but when it comes to performance, the Bengaluru team should edge past the Highlanders. Maybe a 2-0 win at GMC.

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