Odisha vs Bengaluru: Preview and Prediction
Matchday 4 of the 2022/23 season of the Indian Super League begins with Odisha taking on Bengaluru at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar on Thursday.
Odisha has had a fairly decent start to their campaign so far, after what was a really disappointing 2021/22 season. They started off with a 3-2 win over Jamshedpur, and while Mumbai City handed them a defeat in their second match, Josep Gambau’s team made a swift comeback with a 2-1 win over Kerala Blasters in the last match.
Bengaluru, on the other hand, had a similarly good start as they defeated NorthEast United 1-0 in their first match. However, since then, the Blues’ performance has been disappointing. Simon Grayson’s men drew 1-1 against Chennaiyin and lost 0-1 against Hyderabad.
Current Form
After making it to the quarter-finals at the Durand Cup 2022, Odisha faced Jamshedpur in their first ISL game of the season. Despite trailing 0-2 at one point in the match, the Kalinga Warriors did a fantastic job in making a comeback, as a Diego Mauricio brace and an Isaac Vanlalsawma brace helped them register a 3-2 win.
The second match against Mumbai City, however, was in complete contrast, as Gambau’s team lost 0-2. However, in their last match, they handed Kerala Blasters a 2-1 defeat, thanks to goals from Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Pedro Martin.
Bengaluru had to work really hard in their opening game against NorthEast United until Alan Costa scored in the 87th minute to hand them all three points. Grayson’s team once again took the lead in their second match against Chennaiyin, until Prasanth Karuthadathkuni’s goal made them settle for a 1-1 draw.
In their last match, the Blues were up against the defending champions in Hyderabad. Playing in a defensive shell, Bengaluru did well to keep the scoreline 0-0 for most of the game, until Bartholomew Ogbeche scored the winner for the Nizams in the 83rd minute.
Head to Head Record
Bengaluru holds the upper hand when it comes to head-to-head records. These two teams have crossed paths on six occasions previously, of which the Blues have won four games. Odisha has emerged victoriously only once, while the other match ended in a stalemate.
The last meeting saw the Blues register a 2-1 win over the Kalinga Warriors. Danish Farooq and Cleiton Silva were on the scoresheet for them, while Odisha’s solitary goal was scored by Nandhakumar Sekar.
Team News
Though Gambau could field the same starting XI from the Kerala Blasters game, given that his team did well in that match, there is still room for improvement in an area or two – particularly their midfield.
Isaac might have scored in the first match, but he had a poor outing against the Tuskers. Hence, he could be replaced by Raynier Fernandes in this match. Against a strong Bengaluru side, Fernandes could be influential with his experience.
Grayson, on the other hand, is expected to make quite a few changes to his team after a disappointing outing against Hyderabad. Fijian striker Roy Krishna will be available for selection after recovering from an injury, and he is expected to replace Sivasakthi Narayanan.
However, to maintain the overseas count to four, the former Leeds United manager might then replace Aleksandar Jovanovic with Wungngayam Muirang. Besides that, Jayesh Rane and Namgyal Bhutia could make way for Rohit Kumar and Prabir Das respectively.
Predicted XIs
Odisha (4-3-3): Amrinder Singh; Shubham Sarangi, Carlos Delgado, Osama Malik, Sahil Panwar; Thoiba Singh, Saul Crespo, Raynier Fernandes; Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Diego Mauricio, Nandhakumar Sekar
Bengaluru (3-4-1-2): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Alan Costa, Sandesh Jhingan, Wungngayam Muirang; Prabir Das, Bruno Silva, Rohit Kumar, Roshan Naorem; Javi Hernandes; Roy Krishna, Sunil Chhetri
Prediction
Odisha might have started their campaign on a better note as compared to their opposition, Krishna’s addition will be a major boost for Bengaluru. Hence, we have predicted the Blues to eke out a win in this match.