In tonight’s clash, Bengaluru FC take on Chennaiyin FC at the Fatorda Stadium.
Bengaluru will head into their 2nd match of the season against Chennaiyin on the back of a three-match unbeaten run. They have shown great resilience and character after enduring a poor start to the campaign and seem to have turned a corner under their interim head coach Naushad Moosa. Currently, on 18 points, the Blues will be hoping to put together a consistent run of results and secure a semi-final spot.
Chennaiyin, meanwhile, haven’t managed to secure a win from their last four outings and have struggled to score this season. They have scored 11 times – the least by any team in Hero ISL 2020-21 – and have to improve their end product in the opposition box if they want to finish the league stage in the top four. The Marina Machans have failed to score in eight matches this season and haven’t found the back of the net from open play in their last four games.
Naushad Moosa, Interim Coach, Bengaluru FC: Before the Match
There is a lot of positivity now. Players, of course, believe in each other. But now it’s more because of the way we have been playing the last 2-3 games. They have been more compact. After Hyderabad (game), you didn’t see the same mistakes happening in the last game. Everyone was more cautious. Everybody was happy. That is what I see in players. They suffered because they didn’t have their central defender playing. But for today’s game, all the foreigners will be available so it won’t be easy.
Csaba Laszlo, Coach, Chennaiyin FC: Before the Match
If you want to be in the top four, we have to win the remaining games. These are like five finals and this is what we are working on, to try to win against Bengaluru first. I hope we can show that we can score goals because the problem is that we create a lot of chances but don’t score. We have to be very focused on the game. "We are here to try to win games. I don’t think about my future but I think about the future of the club. I think we have a very difficult game against Bengaluru and my attention is towards preparing the team.
The Southern Derby ends in a stalemate as both teams fail to find the back of the net.
Bengaluru comes away with a point against a Chennaiyin side which has been poor in front of goal all season and today was no different. And on occasions the Chennaiyin players fired its shot on target, Gurpreet stood in the way. Both teams remain in same positions.
ATK Mohun Bagan continue their pursuit for the AFC Champions League qualification when they lock horns against Odisha FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday. The game will be played at the Goa Medical College Ground in Bambolim which is serving as the home venue for Odisha FC.
ATK Mohun Bagan FC have been resilient and disciplined throughout the current season. They have shown fantastic mentality when going down in a few games and have managed to bounce back every time. Antonio Lopez Habas’ style of absorbing pressure and then hitting teams on the counter has worked so far as they currently stand 2nd in the ISL standings.
Odisha FC have never looked like a solid side so far in the season. They lack the quality and experience in midfield to turn games around. They are placed bottom of the table and are well outside the contest to compete for a top-four finish. With Stuart Baxter departing the club, it will be Gerald Peyton who will take charge of the Juggernauts as the Interim Head Coach.
Odisha FC and ATK Mohun Bagan FC have played each other only once. The sole contest between the two sides was earlier in the current season where the Mariners ran out 1-0 winners. Odisha FC had previously faced ATKFC (now defunct) on two occasions. ATKFC had won one fixture while the second game ended in a draw.
After registering a clean sheet against Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru FC custodian Gurpreet Singh has overtaken Subrata Pal to become the keeper with most clean sheets in the history of the Hero ISL.
Wow! Great analytical / critical reviews and observations!
@Shubhayan It will be great to see you as a coach of one of the ISL teams next season! In that case, which team would you choose to be part of? One of the dark horses!?
ATK Mohun Bagan ruled the game! Manvir Singh put up a brilliant performance with two goals and a whole lot of hard work. Roy Krishna also found the back of the net twice and as usual worked a lot on the pitch. It was ATK Mohun Bagan’s night as Odisha FC failed to contain the energy the Green and Maroon Brigade had in the final third.
ATK mohun Bagan FC attempted 16 shots against Odisha FC, their highest in a match in the Indian SuperLeague. Since the addition of marcelinho Leite, ATKMB have attempted 30 shots, hit 13 on target and scored 7. Attacking.
In that case, which team would you choose to be part of? One of the dark horses!? 
