Indian Football League

Match 21: SCEB vs. FCG

Preview

A lot is at stake as East Bengal is all set to host Goa in the upcoming match of Indian Football League. Neither of the teams has registered all three points so far from a match and Goa is yet to make a mark as the Gaurs have lost all of their matches so far. East Bengal on the other hand maintained a clean sheet in their last match and acquired one point as the red and gold brigade are 9th in the league while Goa are at the end of the table.

To everyone’s surprise, the Durand Cup champions have been awful so far in the tournament. Whether it’s the strategy or their team combination, no one can exactly point out what Goa’s real problem is. Coach Fernando has been fantastic during his time in India but if things don’t improve, the Spaniard may even lose his job. The biggest setback for the Gaurs has been the departure of Igor Angulo. Goa couldn’t really substitute him with a proper striker who can score 15 goals in the tournament. Jorge Ortiz is very key for the Gaurs for this match as the striker is creating chances but it is time to finish some as well. Overall, it’s a very important game for the team and they are desperately looking for three points. Don’t be surprised if they go all-out!

East Bengal is a decent team. They are not a team who will be finishing in the top four but can give competition to all the teams. Against Goa, the red and yellow brigade are the favourites to win the match. Daniel Chukwu has been great for the team so far. The striker has scored two for the team against Odisha and he is a kind of player who can change the shape of the match at any given point. Coach Manolo Dias is also shuffling his team in every match and giving a chance to a lot of players. When asked about this in the pre match press conference, the Spaniard said, “We are going to play official matches every three days and we must do a rotation. We cannot play the same players for so many matches in a row. The humidity here in FC Goa is high and it is hard for players to play every match”. He also gave an update about Jackiechand Singh and said that the player is still recovering from injury. The gaffer may once again field a different team in the match but if they are any close to the way they played in the second half against Chennai, the team should win the match.

SCEB vs. FCG Predicted Line Ups

SCEB - Suvam Sen, Joyner Lourenco, Tomislav Mrcela, Daniel Gomes, Hira Mondal, Mohammed Rafique, Amir Dervisevic, Darren Sidoel, Amarjit Singh, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Daniel Chima Chukwu

FCG - Dheeraj Singh, Ivan Garrido Gonzalez, Sanson Pereira, Seriton Fernandes, Dylan Fox, Alberto Noguera Ripoll, Princeton Rebello, Glan Martins, Nongdamba Naorem, Alexander Jesuraj, Jorge Ortiz Mendoza

Match Prediction

It’s definitely a very tough call as Goa is a better team on paper while East Bengal is slightly ahead when it comes to form. Expect both teams to go all-out and win the match. Since we have to pick one, we will be choosing East Bengal as the team played some great football against Chennai in the last match.

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