RAIA: Last week, FC Goa were able to arrest a slump in form with a hard-fought away draw against Mumbai City. The Men in Orange will now look to return to winning ways, when they take on East Bengal FC at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, for their next assignment in the Indian Super League season match on Wednesday.
Slated for a 7.30 pm kick-off, the clash is equally important to both teams, albeit for contrasting reasons.
While the Gaurs are chasing the ISL League Shield along with four other teams, the Red and Gold Brigade are locked in a six-team battle for the sixth place, which is the last available play-off spot.
Hence, it goes without a doubt that the two sides will settle for nothing less than three points in front of the home crowd.
The above sentiment was echoed by FC Goa Head Coach Manolo Marquez as well, in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
“Not all is done for us. Every game is the perfect moment to make a comeback. And tomorrow, we need to get to the pitch with a strong intent and show that the team wants to get the three points,” he began.
When asked about the recent setbacks in the form of defeats to the likes of Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United, Marquez said, “This is football. In the first leg, we had good results, but perhaps we won a few games that we didn’t deserve to win.”
“We could’ve come back with six points from Kerala and Mumbai but instead, could only win one point. We had a very good first half against the Blasters and a good game overall against Mumbai City. Had we gotten those points, we would’ve seen things differently.”
“Ultimately, at the end of the league season, every team will be where they deserve (on the points table),” he added.
“For me, the half performances against Mohun Bagan, NorthEast and Mumbai City were all similar. Against Mumbai, we reacted very well after they scored, but the same did not happen in the other cases.”
“And now, at this moment, we have to win on Wednesday, or else fight for the third, fourth and fifth spots. The situation is clear now,” the Spaniard concluded.
With 29 points from 16 matches, Goa are fourth in the standings right now, six points behind leaders Odisha FC and second-placed Mumbai City FC. A win will take them closer to play-off qualification, and will raise their hopes of bringing home the ISL League Shield once again, four years after winning it for the first time.
For East Bengal, currently ninth with 18 points from 17 games, the three points will take them to sixth place directly, leapfrogging NorthEast United, Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC.
