North East United FC to face Bengaluru in ISL tie
Our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI: North East United FC (NEUFC) will take on Bengaluru FC in an ISL tie at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here tomorrow. The match will kick off at 7-30 in the evening.
Bengaluru FC have been the best team in the league so far with 22 points from their earlier 8 outings. NEUFC is also not too far from them. They are now in the second spot in the points table with 18 points from nine games. A win in this game would help the local outfit to reduce the gap with Bengaluru FC in the points table.
NorthEast United coach Eelco Schattorie will be motivated to end Bengaluru’s unbeaten run Although the home side have not exactly been in red-hot form this season, particularly at home. They have registered a single win in their previous four matches at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium but Schattorie will hope they can get a positive result. It will not be easy for the team, particularly with matches coming in thick and fast.
“I think Bengaluru have an advantage here (because of the fixtures). But they don’t have their best player (Miku) available, so I think that’s a disadvantage. But they have shown that they can win games even without him. They have conceded just six goals so far so breaking them open will be difficult,” said Schattorie, who will bank upon star striker joint leader for the Golden Boot, Bartholomew Ogbeche, to deliver the goods.
In midfield, Jose Leudo and Rowllin Borges will have to shoulder additional responsibility as they come up against a solid midfield pivot consisting of Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu.
Bengaluru have maintained a 100 percent record on the road, winning each of their four away games. Despite the continued absence of Miku, who has been a vital cog in their team, the likes of Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh and others have stepped up to the challenge.
Bengaluru coach Carles Cuadrat will be pleased with the collective effort of his squad in front of goal. Players such as Rahul Bheke and Nishu Kumar have contributed with a goal or two as Bengaluru continue their march into the play-offs.
“NorthEast United FC have done really well this season. From all their games that I’ve watched this season, I can see that there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. They’ve been working hard and you can also see that they have done well with their scouting. They’ve brought in some good players and you can see that the club is growing,” said Cuadrat.
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