Last-placed East Bengal will make another bid for their first win of the season when they take on NorthEast United in the eighth match of the Indian Super League (ISL) season here on Friday. After losing six matches in a row, East Bengal opened their account with a goalless draw against Mohammedan Sporting on November 9 in the Kolkata derby. They will now want to take it one step further and claim all three points in front of their home crowd at Yuba Bharati Krirangan. On the other hand, the Highlanders have been in impressive form this season, currently sitting third with 15 points from nine games thanks to four wins and three draws.
They scored 21 goals, conceded just 15 and lost just once in their previous five matches. They trail top-placed Bengaluru FC (20) by five points, a gap they will be confident of overcoming given how they have managed to put the pieces of their puzzle together recently.
Both teams have faced each other eight times, with NorthEast United and East Bengal winning four and two matches respectively. Several matches ended in a draw.
NorthEast United have achieved incredible results recently, having won three times and drawn one in their previous four meetings. If they avoid defeat in Friday’s clash, it will be their longest unbeaten run since they went 11 matches unbeaten between January and March 2021.
East Bengal FC head coach Oscar Bruzon admitted that NorthEast United will play from the front in this match, but assured that the home team has done their homework well.
“I don’t think NorthEast United will come here to neutralize our attacking power, but they will come to try to score more goals themselves,” Berzon said.
“That’s what I know from what they’ve done in recent games with their front line. We will try to show our best game and win the match,” he added.
NorthEast United head coach Juan Pedro Benali said maintaining a balance between offensive instincts and defensive discipline will be crucial in this match.
“Each game is a separate story. We need to create big chances to score and at the same time make it difficult for them. That’s our goal because we know we can score and that’s a very important part (of our job). gameplay),” Benali said. PTI PDS AM PDS AM AM
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