<p>The last time Bengaluru FC took on Royal Wahingdoh, the Blues came out worthy winners drubbing their opponents 4-0 in their own backyard. <br /><br />It was their first win of the season which also saw them halt Wahingdoh’s unbeaten run in the process. Since then the reigning I-League champions have put up a string of good performances to establish their credentials as one of the favourites in the title race.<br />The teams meet again at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday and if the script has to be somewhere close to the one in their previous encounter, the Ashley Westwood-side will have to be on top of their game.<br /><br />Impressive debutants Wahingdoh come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Kolkata giants East Bengal and they stay on the heels of Bengaluru with 20 points from 11 games, behind only on an inferior head-to-head record. <br /><br />BFC, fresh from a thumping 4-1 win over Sporting Clube de Goa three nights back, retain the second spot. The JSW-owned team are a point behind Mohun Bagan, who lead the charts with 21 points from nine games.<br /><br />Westwood knows his team would have to sweat hard to gain three points from the tie. “They (Wahingdoh) have shown us their quality this season. It’s good team led by a good coach. And their approach has paid dividends. We are ready to put our best game against them,” said the Briton who expects a close tie on Friday.<br /><br />The return of Shankar Sampangiraj and Siam Hangal mean the champions will have a full strength squad at their disposal for the tie and it would be interesting to see how Westwood tinkers with his personnel who have given a good account of themselves in the absence of the regulars.<br /><br />Wahingdoh has quickly established a reputation as the giant-killers of the league. Though the progress of the team from Shillong might have surprised a few, their head coach Santosh Kashyap believes otherwise. “I have done nothing special with the boys at Wahingdoh. We have been playing fantastic football and the players have responded well to my call.</p>.<p><br />“We started the season really well by winning the opening three ties. Our experience in the Federation Cup also helped us a lot in understanding how a few of our opponents will shape up and the ways in which we could counter them. I have tried my best to keep the boys pressure free as I expect them to play carefree football. And I think that’s something that has helped us in our cause,” said Kashyap.</p>.<p><br />The game promises to be a treat for the spectators as it would be exciting see the likes of Seityasen Singh, Trinidad and Tobago international Densil Theobald and Jackichand Singh, who is the leading scorer for the visitors with four goals to his name, battle it out against the creativity of BFC’s little magician Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Joshua Walker and Thoi Singh in the midfield.<br /><br />It would also be a test of nerves for the BFC rearguard that has let in 18 goals in the league so far. Keeping out Wahingdoh’s attacking talent, who are expected to come all guns blazing against the champions, will be a tough task.</p>
<p>The last time Bengaluru FC took on Royal Wahingdoh, the Blues came out worthy winners drubbing their opponents 4-0 in their own backyard. <br /><br />It was their first win of the season which also saw them halt Wahingdoh’s unbeaten run in the process. Since then the reigning I-League champions have put up a string of good performances to establish their credentials as one of the favourites in the title race.<br />The teams meet again at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Friday and if the script has to be somewhere close to the one in their previous encounter, the Ashley Westwood-side will have to be on top of their game.<br /><br />Impressive debutants Wahingdoh come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Kolkata giants East Bengal and they stay on the heels of Bengaluru with 20 points from 11 games, behind only on an inferior head-to-head record. <br /><br />BFC, fresh from a thumping 4-1 win over Sporting Clube de Goa three nights back, retain the second spot. The JSW-owned team are a point behind Mohun Bagan, who lead the charts with 21 points from nine games.<br /><br />Westwood knows his team would have to sweat hard to gain three points from the tie. “They (Wahingdoh) have shown us their quality this season. It’s good team led by a good coach. And their approach has paid dividends. We are ready to put our best game against them,” said the Briton who expects a close tie on Friday.<br /><br />The return of Shankar Sampangiraj and Siam Hangal mean the champions will have a full strength squad at their disposal for the tie and it would be interesting to see how Westwood tinkers with his personnel who have given a good account of themselves in the absence of the regulars.<br /><br />Wahingdoh has quickly established a reputation as the giant-killers of the league. Though the progress of the team from Shillong might have surprised a few, their head coach Santosh Kashyap believes otherwise. “I have done nothing special with the boys at Wahingdoh. We have been playing fantastic football and the players have responded well to my call.</p>.<p><br />“We started the season really well by winning the opening three ties. Our experience in the Federation Cup also helped us a lot in understanding how a few of our opponents will shape up and the ways in which we could counter them. I have tried my best to keep the boys pressure free as I expect them to play carefree football. And I think that’s something that has helped us in our cause,” said Kashyap.</p>.<p><br />The game promises to be a treat for the spectators as it would be exciting see the likes of Seityasen Singh, Trinidad and Tobago international Densil Theobald and Jackichand Singh, who is the leading scorer for the visitors with four goals to his name, battle it out against the creativity of BFC’s little magician Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Joshua Walker and Thoi Singh in the midfield.<br /><br />It would also be a test of nerves for the BFC rearguard that has let in 18 goals in the league so far. Keeping out Wahingdoh’s attacking talent, who are expected to come all guns blazing against the champions, will be a tough task.</p>
