Upbeat from their 4-2 win over Chennaiyin FC in the last match, Bengaluru FC will aim to record successive wins for the first time in this Hero Indian Super League (ISL) season when they take on SC East Bengal at the Athletic stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Tuesday.

The Red and Gold brigade parted ways with head coach Jose Manuel Diaz after their 1-1 draw against Hyderabad FC in their last match. Marco Rivera has been named as his replacement but the Hero ISL’s quarantine requirements mean that the Bengaluru FC will come too soon for the Spaniard. Interim coach Renedy Singh will take charge of the team.

The former Indian international will hope to guide the team to their first-ever win in the Hero ISL this season, a task that will be made more complicated by Bengaluru FC’s morale-boosting win in the last match.

Form Guide

Bengaluru FC: LLDDW

The Blues recorded their first win in eight matches when they beat Chennaiyin FC in the final Hero ISL match of 2020. The Blues though are unbeaten in their last three matches and seem to be clicking into gear.

SC East Bengal: DLDLD

The Red and Gold Brigade are winless in the Hero ISL this season but have shown signs of improvements in recent matches. Three out of the four draws that they have had this season have come in the last five matches. They would fancy their chances to lodge their first win of the season against Bengaluru FC, a team that too has struggled this season.

Team News

Bengaluru FC: Marco Pezzaiuoli didn’t report any fresh injury concerns in the pre-match press conference but Akashdeep Singh, Harmanpreet Singh and Amey Morajkar remain sidelined with long-term injuries.

Sarthak Golui will miss the match due to personal reasons, while Leon Augustine and Yrondu-Musavu King are not yet fit enough to return.

SC East Bengal: Antonio Perosevic will continue to remain absent as he serves his five-match suspension. Darren Sidoel and Franjo Prce will also miss the match as they recover from injuries. Raju Gaikwad is also nursing an injury and may miss out but Jackichand Singh will return after recovering from his calf problem.

Head-to-head record

The two teams have met twice in the past with each team walking away with a win apiece. The Blues won the first encounter between the two teams 2-0 while the Red and Gold brigade edged the last meeting 1-0.

Key players

Bengaluru FC

Cleiton Silva: The Brazilian forward is the talisman for the Blues and scored in the 4-2 win over Chennaiyin FC. He is the team’s top goalscorer in the league with five goals and has also provided three assists this season. Against a fragile SC East Bengal defence, Silva has the potential to cause damage.

Roshan Naorem: The left-back has been the find of the season for the Blues. In addition to his defensive duties, Naorem has contributed heavily in attack with three assists to his name. His set-pieces have caused opponents plenty of problems and his quality in dead-ball situations mean the Blues are the joint-most threatening side on set-plays with nine goals scored in these situations.

SC East Bengal

Amir Dervisevic: Amir Dervisevic is SC East Bengal’s joint leading goal scorer with 2 goals this season. Both his goals have come from outside the box, and he has had just 2 shots on target, both of which have been goals. His 9 chances created is the joint highest among SC East Bengal players with Antonio Perosevic. 

Daniel Chukwu: The Nigerian striker has yet to hit the heights that were expected of him but against a fragile defence like SC East Bengal, he would have to take up the responsibility of scoring the goals for his team. The forward has the ability to be a real menace in the opponent box and must start living up to his reputation.

Key Stats

First half crucial

Bengaluru have scored 10 of the 15 goals in the first half (66.67%). Only Mumbai City (12) and ATK Mohun Bagan (11) have scored more in the first. Coincidentally, 66.67% of all goals conceded by SC East Bengal have come in the first half. They have conceded 12 of their 18 goals in the first 45 minutes. No team has conceded more in the same time period.

Unwanted milestone

SC East Bengal are on a 12-match winless run currently, the longest in their Hero ISL history.

Set-piece kings

Eight of the last ten goals scored by Bengaluru have come from set pieces. In their last match, they scored 3 out of 4 goals from set pieces. Bengaluru have scored the most goals from corners this season (5).

Match Timings and Telecast Details

Match: Odisha FC vs Mumbai City FC

Date: 3rd January 2022

Venue: Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama, Goa.

Kick-off time: 7.30 pm

Telecast: Star Sports 3

Online Streaming: Disney+Hotstar and JioTV.