Bambolim, Feb 10: A chance to close the gap on leaders Hyderabad FC will motivate Bengaluru FC when the two teams square off in an Indian Super League (ISL) match here on Friday.
Bengaluru are on a nine-game unbeaten run, having turned around a poor start to the season in some style as they are placed third with 23 points from 15 matches.
A win against leaders Hyderabad will see them go level on points with their southern rivals, and that should keep Marco Pezzaouli’s charges on their toes.
Hyderabad failed to consolidate their lead at the top after a narrow defeat to ATK Mohun Bagan, leaving Kerala Blasters FC with a golden opportunity to reclaim pole position as they have two games in hand as compared to Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Kerala are placed second with 23 points from 13 outings.
“We’re looking at ourselves, because we’re unbeaten in nine games. We’ve won our last few games, and we’re in a better condition after quarantine. We got ten points from the last four games, which has been a good return,” said Pezzaouli.
On Hyderabad, he said: “They lost their last game, which is an important point, because it helps us spot some weaknesses. We need to be very compact. They are a very good team in transition, fast players in the offensive areas and Ogbeche is the man in the box, so we need to avoid counters.”
The sub-plot to the match is also Bartholomew Ogbeche and Sunil Chhetri facing off. The two joint-highest goal scorers in ISL history will clash against each other as they battle to become the first player to reach the 50-goal milestone in the competition. Both Chhetri and Ogbeche have scored 49 goals in the competition.
Chhetri has scored his 49 goals in 109 matches while Ogbeche has scored 49 goals in 71 matches. The game will also be a battle of some of the best-attacking fullbacks this season.
Roshan Singh Naorem and Akash Mishra have been a revelation in attack this season. Cumulatively, they have been involved in 12 goals for their teams this season. Roshan has seven-goal contribution (1 goal + 6 assists) in his 13 matches while Akash has scored two goals with three assists. No defender has been involved in more goals in ISL 21-22 than these two.
For the Blues, Cleiton Silva getting back among goals also augurs well as they prepare for the final push in the business end of the season. Brazilian forward Silva ended a four-game goalless streak as his brace helped Bengaluru come from behind to win 3-1 against Jamshedpur in their last game.
Silva took his tally to seven league goals, putting him third in the Golden Boot Race along with Jorge Ortiz (7) and behind Ogbeche (14) and Igor Angulo (8).
“We were not good in general the other day and we lost against a very good side. We now have to be focused against BFC. The fight is still open for a top-four place for many teams,” Marquez said.
“We cannot think about how many points we need. We have to play against BFC and let’s see what happens. If we win, we will see things in a different way. If we lose, we have to continue fighting. Nothing will be decided before the last round.”
The last time the two teams met, Hyderabad FC emerged 1-0 winners.
Match starts at 7:30 pm IST. (PTI)
