Today Tilak Maidan Stadium is going to witness a mouth-watering clash between SC East Bengal and FC Goa tonight at 7:30 PM. Both the teams flavoured the taste of victory in their previous duel in Indian Super League maintaining a good set of form which makes it difficult to predict today’s winner.
SC East Bengal underwent a rough start in their debut season. They remained winless in the first seven games in the campaign and tasted their first victory against Odisha FC that too in a 3-1 margin. Head Coach Robbie Fowler took the initiative of releasing some of their big guns and signed a new set of players in the January transfer window. The backline was the real matter of concern for them but a decent display by the new signing Raju Gaikwad makes the defence department look more solid.
While on the other hand, FC Goa with several ups and downs sits comfortably at the third position in the points table. Igor Angulo has proven himself for being the best replacement for Ferran Corominas with a decent set of performances this season. But much like SC East Bengal, defence is the major concern for the Gaurs as well. The Gaurs managed to maintain only one clean sheet till date in this season and escaped the riot of a defeat by a last-minute brace against Hyderabad FC.
3 Indian Players to lookout for
The three Indian Players to watch out in today’s game are Raju Gaikwad, Ishan Pandita and Princeton Rebello. Raju Gaikwad made a brilliant start for SC East Bengal in his debutant match against Odisha FC. He remained confident in the backline throughout the match and accounting a 75% passing accuracy, 1 assist and 2/3 successful interceptions, earning himself a name in Robbie Fowler’s good book.
A last-minute goal from Ishan Pandita on his first touch in the game against Hyderabad FC helped to boost the morale of his teammates and the Gaurs made a comeback to the earn all the three points at the end of the match. A lot of expectations are over this youngsters head, not just only from FC Goa fans but from all Indian football fans making him a player to watch out for tonight. The 22-year-old Attacking Midfielder Princeton Rebello has shown a lot of potential in the recent games with a good set of performances and he’s expected to set up some goals and create some chances for the Gaurs tonight.
3 Foreign Players to lookout for
The three foreign players to watch out for are Igor Angulo, Jorge Ortiz Mendoza and Bright Enobakhare. The Spaniard Igor Angulo continues to shine in the FC Goa jersey with 9 goals from 9 appearances this season. The Gaur’s win today depends on the boots of Igor Angulo making him a man to watch out for tonight. The 28-year-old Spanish Midfielder Jorge Ortiz Mendoza has already proven his worth in Indian Super League being an instrumental engine in FC Goa’s midfield this season. The midfielder has also scored 2 goals till date for the Gaurs.
The 22-year-old Nigerian centre-forward Bright Enobakhare had a bright start for SC East Bengal scoring in his debut match for the Kolkata giants. Coming in as a new signing in the January transfer window, this lad is surely a one to watch out in today’s game.
SC East Bengal vs FC Goa
Head-to-head
Both the teams locked horns with each other only once and that too in the Hero Super Cup. The win favoured East Bengal recording a 1-0 victory over FC Goa.
Team News & Injuries
Both the teams will play their full strength as there is no notable injuries or suspensions in both the camps.
SC East Bengal’s new signing Bright Enobakhare is expected to come in as a substitute in today’s match also making him an impactful super-sub in today’s clash.
Predicted Line-up
SC East Bengal (3-5-2): Debjit Majumder, Daniel Fox, Scott Neville, Milan Singh, Bikash Jairu, Raju Gaikwad, Matti Steinmann, Haobam Tomba Singh, Anthony Pilkington, Mohammed Rafique, Jacques Maghoma
FC Goa (4-2-3-1): Mohammad Nawaz, Iván Gonzalez, James Donachie, Saviour Gama, Seriton Fernandes, Edu Bedia, Lenny Rodrigues, Alex Jesuraj, Princeton Rebello, Jorge Ortíz, Igor Angulo
Predicted Result
Although it’s hard to predict, evaluating both the teams’ current run of form. We predict a 2-1 win for the Gaurs as they have an upper hand in the points table.
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