East Bengal FC will face NorthEast United FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong in the opening fixture of Matchweek 26 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season.

The Highlanders have qualified for the playoffs with 35 points from 23 games, on the back of nine wins and eight draws. They will want to enter the playoffs with a victory on their back.

East Bengal FC are eighth with 28 points and will hope to cap off the campaign by extending their strong record against NorthEast United FC, having lost just once in their last six meetings and scoring in each of those encounters.

Meanwhile, NorthEast United FC head into this fixture on the back of a 3-0 victory over Chennaiyin FC, marking the seventh time this season they have netted three or more goals in a single game, as only Mohun Bagan Super Giant have achieved this more times (nine) in ISL 2024-25. Notably, the Highlanders’ seven such high-scoring games this season equal their combined tally from the last three seasons.

NorthEast United FC’s Home Concerns

• ⁠⁠Consecutive Home Defeats: The Highlanders have lost their last two home games by similar 0-2 scorelines. The last time they failed to find the back of the net in three successive home matches was between December 2019 and February 2020.
• ⁠Scoring Imbalance? The Highlanders are the fourth-highest scoring teams with 42 strikes. Alaaeddine Ajaraie had netted 21 times, but the joint-best in the list next are Guillermo Fernandez and Nestor Albiach with five goals each.

East Bengal FC’s Away Form

• ⁠Unbeaten Run: East Bengal FC are currently unbeaten in their last three away games in ISL 2024-25 (W2 D1). A win or a draw in this match would set a new club record for their longest such sequence in ISL history.
• ⁠Defensive Discipline: East Bengal FC have laid a potent offside trap this season, catching opponents offside 60 times, more than any other side in the competition. This also means that they play a slightly high defensive line at times, which could leave their backline exposed too.

Head-to-Head

The two sides have played nine games against each other, with NorthEast United FC and East Bengal FC winning four and three times respectively. Two matches have produced draws.

Coaches Corner

“We will be looking at our gameplay”

NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali opened up on his plans for the forthcoming fixture.

“We are playing East Bengal FC, but we need to look at scoring goals and our gameplay, rather than the opposition. We would like to rotate the players in some positions,” he said.

“All matches are important for the club”

East Bengal FC assistant coach Bino George reiterated the importance of all games for the club.

“We always focus on all our matches, as all of them are important for the club. We have our plans set and will be focused on following them,” he said.

Key Players to Watch

• ⁠East Bengal FC’s Cleiton Silva has scored five goals in this fixture, more than any other player. However, he is without a strike in his last 18 ISL appearances.
• ⁠NorthEast United FC’s Alaaeddine Ajaraie has scored against 11 different teams in ISL 2024-25, with East Bengal FC being the only exception. Netting on Saturday will place him in an elite list of players alongside Ferran Corominas (with FC Goa in 2017-18), Kalu Uche (with Delhi Dynamos FC in 2017-18) and Miku Fedor (with Bengaluru FC in 2017-18) to have struck against every team in the league in a single season.
• ⁠⁠East Bengal FC’s Naorem Mahesh Singh scored in each of his last two away matches and he has provided three assists against NorthEast United FC, which is his second-best tally against any team.

ISL Fantasy

Alaaeddine Ajaraie (₹8.6cr)

The NEUFC star has won the highest (165) ISL fantasy points in his team this season

Anwar Ali (₹5.3cr)

The East Bengal FC player has bagged the most (82) ISL fantasy points this season

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