JOIN USConfident BFC eye another win
After taming East Bengal in their own den, a high-flying Bengaluru FC will be keen to build on the momentum when they lock horns with Sporting Clube de Goa in the I-League here at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday.
The Ashley Westwood-coached side has had a fruitful season so far, winning four of their five clashes, with a surprise loss to Mumbai FC being their only low point. The run also means that the city-based club is perched at the top of the league with 12 points, while their opponents for Saturday, Sporting, are at the sixth spot with four points. The Goans have won one, drawn one and lost two of their four games so far.
With the number of games limited to just 16, the Sporting coach Mateus Costa felt his side will have lift their level quickly if they are to maintain their top flight status.
“We know that the league is not very long and we cannot afford to have an off day or two. We all know what a loss can do to a team’s confidence and here we don’t have enough time that we can afford to lose and then bounce back. We aspire to be in the top tier of Indian football and we will do everything to stay afloat,” said Costa.
The visitors are likely depend on their talismanic forward Odafa Okolie for goals while the defence is expected to be marshalled by the former Royal Wahingdoh centre back Loveday Enyinnaaa who seems to have settled well in his new side. Meanwhile, it’s thier midfield that could see a little change as Costa will have to look for a replacement for Rowllin Borges, who is a part of the national team at the South Asian Games.
While Sporting will miss the services of Borges, Bengaluru too will have to do without their pacy winger Udanta Singh as he too has been called up for national duty. Other notable omissions from the Bengaluru setup include midfield maestro Eugeneson Lyngdoh and goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, both sidelined due to injuries.
Though Westwood admitted that missing a few key players from the squad is a dent in their aspirations, he was confident that the available players would respond well to his call and get the job done for the side against the Goans.
Absence of Lyngdoh could mean Alwyn George being deployed in a more central role, while their new addition Micheal Collins could get a few minutes under his belt. Goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte could return under the bar, while striker CK Vineeth is expected to partner North Korean import Kim Song Yong and Sunil Chhetri in the strike department in what could be a 4-3-3 set up.BFC, Sakra join hands Bengaluru FC announced Sakra World Hospital as their healthcare partner on Friday.
The partnership will enable the the JSW-owned side use the hospital’s facilities for medical purposes like diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation for the players. The agreement also ensures that the club will be subjected to BCML assessment as per FIFA regulations, in addition to two ambulances, two nurses and one doctor for every home match here in Bengaluru.
East Bengal win
Aizawl FC’s goalkeeper Soram Poirei’s impressive performance was overshadowed by East Bengal as they recorded their fourth clean sheet of the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over the newcomers at the Barasat district sports stadium.
Bikash Jairu (72nd minute) and Bernard Mendy (74th minute) scored for the Red and Gold brigade bounced back from their home defeat to Bengaluru FC to move second on the league table with 11 points from six games.