Title contenders FC Goa will be looking for their first win of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 when they take on undefeated NorthEast United FC on Monday. (More Football News)
FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando has made an immediate impact at the club, getting his side to play some fine football. But the two-time finalists and last season's league winners have so far just managed a single point, from their draw against former champions Bengaluru FC. In their second outing, the Gaurs lost to Mumbai City. They, however, stuck to their attacking philosophy in both the games.
Now, Ferrando may employ a different approach against the Highlanders, who have four points from their first two outings -- win against Mumbai and draw against Kerala Blasters. “Our mentality is to win three points. I'm not happy with the result because we had more opportunities to win the game against Bengaluru. Against Mumbai, our players didn't get enough opportunities,” the Spaniard said before the match.
READ: All You Need To Know About ISL 2020-21
NorthEast, with their aggressive approach and strong wingers with good dribbling skills, won't be an easy side to play. “It’s important to take control. And we have a plan for the game. It’s important to have it. I can’t explain it but you can watch it tomorrow,” Ferrando added.
NorthEast are looking for their first serious title challenge this season. This season, at least evident from the two matches, have shown the will to fight. But Gerard Nus' side will be up against a very strong Goa side, and they will need to take control from the very outset.
"The team that controls most of the game is the one that creates chances to win it. To create more chances than the opponents and to stop the opponents from creating chances (is what we aim to do),” Nus said.
And Nus is confident that his players will up to the task.
"The mood is high and the players are excited about the performances in the first two games. There are a lot of things we can improve as individuals and also as a team," said Nus. "But the most important is tomorrow’s game which will be a massive challenge for us and we need to understand that at the end of the day. FC Goa won the regular season last year and we shouldn’t forget that," the 35-year-old Spaniard added.
All you need to know about the FC Goa vs NorthEast United FC match:
Match: 12th match of ISL 2020-21 between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters
Date: November 30 (Monday), 2020.
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Fatorda Stadium, Margao, Goa.
TV Listing: Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 2/HD (English); Star Sports Hindi 1/HD, Star Sports 3, Star Gold 2 (Hindi), Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies (Malayalam); Star Sports Bangla; Star Sports Kannada; Star Sports Tamil; Star Sports Telugu and Star Sports Marathi.
Live Streaming: Online streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and JioTV.
All ISL 2020-21 matches will be shown live and can be streamed live in 82 territories across the world. Check worldwide coverage details HERE.
Season Recap: After 11 matches, ATK Mohun Bagan lead the points table with six points (two wins), followed by NorthEast United, Chennaiyin FC and Hyderabad FC -- all on four points - one win, one draw each. Mumbai City are fifth with three points (one win, one loss).
Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters are sixth and seventh with two points each. Jamshedpur FC, Odisha FC and FG Goa have one point each. And East Bengal are without are without a point. Blasters have played most games - 3, while East Bengal have played only once. Other remaining nine teams have played two matches each.
Head-to-head: This will be their 13th meeting in the ISL, Goa leading the head-to-head record 5-2. In the last meeting, Goa beat NorthEast 2-0.
Likely XIs
FC Goa: Mohammed Nawaz; Seriton Fernandes, James Donachie, Ivan Gonzalez, Saviour Gama; Edu Bedia, Lenny Rodrigues; Seiminlen Doungel, Alberto Noguera, Brandon Fernandes; Igor Angulo.
Goa's Redeem Tlang is unavailable for selection as he is serving an automatic one-match ban for his red card against Mumbai City FC.
NorthEast United FC: Subhasish Roy Chowdhury; Ashutosh Mehta, Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Gurjinder Kumar; Lalengmawia, Khassa Camara; Khumanthem Ninthoinganba Meetei, Federico Gallego, Britto PM; Kwesi Appiah
Squads
FC Goa: Goalkeepers - Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Dylan D'Silva, Shubham Dhas; Defenders - Ivan Gonzalez, James Donachie, Seriton Fernandes, Aibanbha Dohling, Leander D'Cunha, Mohamed Ali, Sanson Pereira, Sarineo Fernandes, Saviour Gama; Midfielders - Edu Bedia, Flan Gomes, Jorge Ortiz, Brandon Fernandes, Alberto Noguera, Lenny Rodrigues, Redeem Tlang, Seiminlen Doungel, Nestor Dias, Phrangki Buam, Princeton Rebello, Alexander Jesuraj, Makan Chothe; Forwards - Igor Angulo, Ishan Pandita, Aaren D'Silva, Devendra Murgaonkar.
Head coach - Juan Ferrando (Spain)
NorthEast United FC: Goalkeepers - Sanjiban Ghosh, Subhasish Roy, Gurmeet, Nikhil Deka; Defenders - Ashutosh Mehta, Benjamin Lambot, Dylan Fox, Gurjinder Kumar, Mashoor Shereef, Nabin Rabha, Nim Dorjee, Provat Lakra, Wayne Vaz, Rakesh Pradhan; Midfielders - Federico Gallego, Khassa Camara, Lalengmawia, Imran Khan, Lalrempuia Fanai, Pragyan Gogoi, Rochharzela; Forwards - Idrissa Sylla, Luis Machado, Kwesi Appiah, Britto PM, Khumanthem Ninthoinganba Meetei, Lalkhawpuimawia, Suhair Vadakkepeedika.
Head coach - Gerard Nus (Spain)
