ISL 2024-25: FC Goa aim to end home drought as Bengaluru FC brings unbeaten streak to Fatorda

Goa: Bengaluru FC and FC Goa, two teams who have shared an animating rivalry over the years, are all set to rekindle the duel as they face each other at the Fatorda Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Saturday. Both these teams have been ISL champions in the past, with Bengaluru FC winning the title in 2018-19 and the Gaurs clinching the League Shield the following season. They are on a mission to reclaim that glory in the current campaign, and whilst their forms have been at the opposite ends of the spectrum thus far, the incredible quality of players in their ranks assures spectators of an engaging encounter with a significant lot to play for. Playing in their backyard is usually supposed to produce positive results for teams, but such hasn’t been the case for FC Goa in recent times. They have now gone four games without a victory at home, their longest such streak in the ISL, and the quicker they snap this – the better it will be to fuel their efforts of getting their fans to rally behind them this season. One factor that can help the Gaurs turn around their form is head coach Manolo Marquez’s commendable record against Bengaluru FC. The coach’s teams have not lost a game against the Blues in his eight face-offs against them. Bengaluru FC are one of the two teams along with East Bengal FC that he has faced at least thrice but never lost against in the ISL. Can his lucky charm against the Blues propel the Gaurs to success tomorrow? With 16 points from six games, this is Bengaluru FC’s second-best start to an ISL season – only behind the 2018-19 campaign when they went on to finish atop the table. They seem to be on similar momentum this time around, winning five encounters, drawing once, scoring 11 goals and conceding merely once thus far. Bengaluru FC have completed 82.1% of attempted passes in ISL 2024-25, which is the highest amongst all teams in the league. They have evidently been patient in their build-up, asserting pressure on the opposition’s backline, taking the game to them, and creating opportunities that their efficient frontline has been able to convert at ease. The Blues also scored thrice in their last away match, which was a 3-1 win against Kerala Blasters FC and the last time they netted multiple strikes on consecutive games at the opposition’s home was a sequence of three games between January-February 2023. FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez quipped that his attack has been performing at an optimal level and he praised his team for producing competitive performances this season. “The only game that we played bad was against Mohun Bagan. Against Mumbai, the match was even and other games we have played at a good level. The attack I feel is performing well now,” Marquez said. Bengaluru FC head coach Gerard Zaragoza shared an interesting insight about a defensive game plan that is helping them prevent more goal-scoring chances from coming into their box. “We work hard to stop balls coming into our box. We try to protect our goal, we try to protect Gurpreet. When we do that, we will leave something open. If we close the areas in the middle, there will be space outside. We took a risk but at the moment in six games we haven’t conceded from crosses,” Zaragoza said. –IANS