Team Herald
PANJIM: FC Goa cross swords with Bengaluru FC in their third home match of this season’s Indian Super League at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda, this time with an early kick-off at 5.30 pm.
The Gaurs are on a high after humbling ATK Mohun Bagan at their Fatorda fortress. The Bengaluru outfit are licking their wounds in the wake of a four-match losing streak which sees them occupy lowly 10th spot in the table.
FC Goa are at fourth and are bubbling with confidence. Another win and the Gaurs will be just a point adrift leaders Hyderabad FC. Points will help BFC move to eight place.
FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena spoke at the pre-match press conference on Friday, where he praised his team for a positive start. “It’s a great start in terms of results. We are a new coaching staff, we got a few new players, and our squad is among the youngest in the league in terms of average age. Hence, in terms of results until now, I think we’ve shown that we can compete against any team,” he said.
“On the other hand, we are also a team that’s still under construction, and we must improve in many aspects of the game. I’m sure, however, that with ambition and commitment from everyone, we’re on the right path.”
The 38-year-old also commented on their recent win over ATK Mohun Bagan and how it leads up to preparations ahead of facing Bengaluru, saying, “In victories like the last one you also have areas where you can improve. We need to go on to the next game against BFC with the same mentality and with the same hunger we showed on Sunday. Any other way means we’ll have serious problems in playing a good match against them.”
“Bengaluru FC has always been a club with a winning mentality. They have experienced players in the squad. In football, the past is pointless. It will only matter as to how we approach this particular game,” he further added.
Simon Grayson, BFC’s coach, usually prefers his team to be versatile in both attack and defence. Given the star-studded squad at his disposal that includes the likes of Sunil Chhetri, Roy Krishna, Javi Hernandez, Udanta Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Sandesh Jhingan and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu among others, one can expect the Blues to go all out in terms of attack while maintaining defensive stability.
