Despite Bengaluru FC and FC Goa sealing their place in this season’s Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) play-offs, the quest for the league’s top spot still remains an open race. The two teams have been the league’s standout performers so far and will lock horns on Thursday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The Gaurs will be looking for revenge after Bengaluru got one over them in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Bengaluru FC

After a splendid first half of the campaign, Bengaluru were expected to breeze past their opponents when the league resumed in January. However, the turn of the year has not brought good fortune to the garden city side. The Blues have emerged victorious in just one of their five matches and are in serious jeopardy of choking at the business end of the season. While Bengaluru have done enough to secure a spot in the play-offs, an improvement in results is the need of the hour, especially against an in-form FC Goa side.

The Blues missed the towering presence of Erik Paartalu during their loss to Delhi Dynamos. Carles Cuadrat has confirmed that the Australian midfielder will miss the rest of the league campaign through injury. The likes of Harmanjot Khabra and Dimas Delgado will have to up their game to fill the void left by Paartalu. Moreover, with centre-back Albert Serran missing the tie to a suspension, it will be interesting to see how the Bengaluru backline shapes up against Goa. The one aspect that Bengaluru can always rely on will be the quality of their striking duo – Sunil Chhetri and Miku. Chhetri played a leading role in their victory over Goa earlier in the season and could hold the key to their chances again on Thursday.

Here are Bengaluru’s stats from the season so far:

FC Goa

The Gaurs have undoubtedly been the best team since the league resumed in January. For all the concern about their defensive abilities, Goa have not conceded a single goal in their past five matches. Ironically, they will become the first side in Hero ISL history to register six consecutive clean sheets, if they prevent Bengaluru from scoring.

Upfront, Ferran Corominas and Edu Bedia have been strutting their stuff for all the fans to see. Corominas has been in a rich vein of form, with three goals and two assists in his last two matches. The Spaniard has also been ably assisted by Brandon Fernandes, Hugo Boumous and Ahmed Jahouh. With such a plethora of quality at hand, it is going to take a monumental task from Bengaluru to prevent Goa from extending their lead at the top.

Here’s a look at Goa’s season in numbers:

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

BENGALURU FC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Rino Anto, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Nishu Kumar, Harmanjot Khabra, Dimas Delgado, Udanta Singh, Xisco Hernandez, Sunil Chhetri (C), Miku.

FC GOA: Naveen Kumar, Seriton Fernandes, Mourtada Fall, Carlos Pena, Mandar Rao Dessai (c), Ahmed Jahouh, Lenny Rodrigues, Jackichand Singh, Edu Bedia, Brandon Fernandes, Ferran Corominas

DID YOU KNOW?

  • If Bengaluru lose the match, it will be the first time that they will lose three matches in a row.
  • A win will give Goa their 10th win of the season. Only Bengaluru has won 10 or more matches in the league stage of a season. (13 in Hero ISL 2017-18)
  • No team has topped an ISL table twice in history. Both the sides have a chance to create that record (FC Goa topped the table in 2015 while Bengaluru topped last season).

FANSPEAK

Which striker will be the first to get on the scoresheet?

  • Sunil Chhetri
  • Ferran Corominas

Have your say in the comments section below.

Catch the match live on the Star Sports network, Hotstar and Jio TV.