Bengaluru vs Jamshedpur: Preview and Prediction

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Bengaluru host Jamshedpur in Game Week 11 of the Indian Super League

Bengaluru will be all set to lock horns against Jamshedpur in this crucial Indian Super League encounter on Saturday. 

Bengaluru has lost 4 of their last 5 games and has a team that will aim to maintain a winning momentum that can allow them to showcase their strengths in this match. Jamshedpur on the other hand is on a demoralising losing streak with no hopes to bounce back considering their decline in momentum which will be tested to the limit in this contest.

Such has been the story of these two sides as they are placed ninth and tenth in the points table with Bengaluru positioned higher than Jamshedpur after having three more points than the Red Miners. Both these sides are also the teams to have scored the least this term with six goals each.

Bengaluru is just like Jamshedpur not at their best this season and is witnessing poor results. Bengaluru has won just two games this season and has been struggling for the remainder of the season. They tasted a 3-2 defeat against Kerala Blasters in their previous game. Goals have dried up for the hosts, who have scored in only four of the side’s nine games this term.

Meanwhile, Jamshedpur is coming into the game on the back of their sixth consecutive defeat. In their last outing, the Red Miners slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of ATK Mohun Bagan after what looked like almost registering a point from that game. Aidy Boothroyd’s side has shown no cohesion since the start of the season and is currently 10th in the standings with just four points.

Current Form

Bengaluru began their campaign on a high registering a 1-0 win against NorthEast United and followed that up with a 1-1 draw against Chennaiyin. However, things have gone downhill since then with the Blues losing the next four. They then registered a win against Goa crushing the Gaurs 2-0 away but soon returned to their losing form by going down in each of their next two games, most recently against Kerala Blasters.

Jamshedpur started their season with a 3-2 loss against Odisha but followed that up with scalping points from each of their next two games first drawing 1-1 against Mumbai City and then winning against NorthEast United 1-0 at home. 

However, since then, they have slipped to their sixth consecutive defeat, most of them by a narrow margin. Most recently they slumped to a 1-0 loss against ATK Mohun Bagan after what looked like they would settle for a draw only to concede a penalty in the ninth minute that the Mariners made the most use of.

Head to Head Record

Bengaluru and Jamshedpur have played each other in 10 games of the Indian Super League. The Red Miners hold a narrow advantage over the Blues by winning four encounters against Bengaluru’s three. Three of these fixtures have also ended in draws.

Last season, the first match played between the two sides ended in a stalemate. However, Bengaluru defeated Jamshedpur in the two side’s most recent game by a 3-1 margin in February 2022. 

In that game, Jamshedpur’s Daniel Chima Chukwu opened the proceedings as he scored the game’s first goal. However, after half-time Sunil Chhetri levelled the game for the Blues before a brace from Cleiton Silva sealed the deal for Bengaluru.

Team News

Simon Grayson might be tempted to tweak his side given the failures he has witnessed this term. He is expected to line up Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in goal and place the quartet of Prabir Das, Aleksander Jovanovic, Sandesh Jhingan and Namgyal Bhutia in defense. 

Rohit Kumar, Javi Hernandez and Bruno Ramires are set to dominate the proceedings for the Blues in the middle whilst the trio of Udanta Singh, Roy Krishna and Roshan Naorem are set to lead Bengaluru’s attack in the match.

Aidy Boothroyd is expected to start Rehenesh Paramba in front of the goal whilst Pratik Chaudhuri will partner Eli Saliba in central defense. They are expected to be flanked by Laldinliana Renthlei and Ricky Lallawmawma as full-backs.

Jitendra Singh will partner with the creative Jay Emanuel Thomas in midfield and will be joined by Harry Sawyer and Boris Singh in the wings. The duo of Daniel Chima Chukwu and Ishan Pandita will be tasked with leading the line for the Red Miners.

Predicted Starting XIs

Bengaluru (4-3-3): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Prabir Das, Aleksander Jovanovic, Sandesh Jhingan, Namgyal Bhutia; Rohit Kumar, Javi Hernandez, Bruno Ramires; Udanta Singh, Roy Krishna, Roshan Naorem

Jamshedpur (4-4-2): Rehenesh Paramba; Laldinliana Renthlei, Pratik Chaudhuri, Eli Saliba, Ricky Lallawmawma; Harry Sawyer, Jitendra Singh, Jay Emanuel Thomas, Boris Singh; Daniel Chima Chukwu, Ishan Pandita

Prediction

We expect a goal-packed match between two teams that rarely get a good chance to win a match. Both Bengaluru and Jamshedpur have been terrible this season, so this match is a rare opportunity for three points. 

We expect both sides to play their best football and score goals between them. Most of the games from recent years ended with both teams scoring – at least three of the last five.

Bengaluru has obviously not been at their usual level but it is a fact that they were one of the best teams until a few months ago. One should not forget the Durand Cup where Bengaluru was destroying every team they met at home. This is the perfect opportunity for the team to return to the wins and beat one of the traditionally weaker sides at home.

Jamshedpur on the other hand has been terrible on the road this season and still does not have a win. The team has mostly been losing with big score lines and several teams already scored 3+ goals in the last few months against them. Bengaluru is out of shape but the team remains far stronger than Jamshedpur and we expect a solid win this time too.

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