Bengaluru vs Goa: Preview and Prediction
ISL club Bengaluru will look to keep their unbeaten run intact when they square off against defending champions Goa in Group A of Durand Cup 2022 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday at 06:00 PM IST.
Bengaluru requires just a draw to qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament joining last year’s runners-up Mohammedan from Group A. The Blues already have six points from two matches after beating the likes of Jamshedpur and the Indian Air Force.
After suffering two losses in their campaign, Goa’s ambitions to qualify for the quarter-finals look bleak. They not only have to beat Bengaluru on Tuesday but also have to hope that the Blues lose to table toppers Mohammedan in the final group stage match of Group A.
Current Form
Bengaluru started their Durand Cup 2022 campaign with a 2-1 win over Jamshedpur as Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna found their names on the scoresheet. They followed their marauding run by thumping Indian Air Force 4-0 as Roy Krishna, Faisal Ali, and Sivasakthi Naryanan found their names on the scoresheet.
Goa started their title defense on a sour note by losing to last year’s runners-up Mohammedan by a 3-1 scoreline despite taking the lead at half-time through Muhammed Nemil. Nemil struck once more as the Gaurs beat the Indian Air Force 1-0 in their next encounter.
Goa looked set to share the spoils with Jamshedpur in their next encounter but a goal in the dying embers of the game from Tapan Halder saw them on the losing side with a 0-1 scoreline.
Head to Head Record
Bengaluru and Goa have squared off against each other 11 times in the past, with the Blues gaining the upper hand on five occasions. The Gaurs beat their opponents thrice while three matches ended in a draw.
In the last ISL encounter between the two sides, Goa went into the break with a one-goal lead courtesy of Dylan Fox. However, Sunil Chhetri levelled the proceedings as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Goa and Bengaluru locked horns with each other in the semi-finals of the Durand Cup last year as the full-time scoreline read 2-2 after thirty minutes of extra time. The Gaurs edged the penalty shootout 7-6 to progress to the finals and win the trophy eventually.
Team News
Both sides have no injury and suspension concerns. Bengaluru and Goa both should keep the same starting line-up that started the previous match. There were concerns regarding racism from the Blues’ setup in their previous Durand Cup match against the Indian Air Force. However, it has been settled and the match should go forward with no controversy.
Predicted Starting XIs
Bengaluru (4-4-2): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Prabir Das, Sandesh Jhingan, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Wungngayam Muirang; Namgyal Bhutia, Suresh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Bruno Ramires, Sunil Chhetri, Roy Krishna
Goa (4-4-2): Hrithik Tiwari; Salman Faris, Mallikjan Kalegar, Lesly Rebello, Deeshank Kunkalikar; Shanon Viegas, Lalremruata HP, Ayush Chetri, Phrangki Buam; Delton Colaco, Muhammed Nemil
Prediction
Bengaluru has entered the tournament with all guns blazing and is a side to beat. Having lost to the reserve side of Jamshedpur, Goa should be low on confidence and the fixture against the Blues may have come too quickly for them. With Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna in sublime form, we predict Bengaluru to win the contest 3-0.