Bengaluru FC eye elusive win

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Any other season, the clash between Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters would be one that is fought as hard on the field as in the stands, a massive crowd puller for the Indian Super League.

But, this season is not like any other.

When the two clubs meet at the GMC Bambolim Stadium on Wednesday, there will be just echoes of players and managers’ shouts and banners. That’s not the only thing that has changed. The clubs themselves are going through a forgettable season.

Bengaluru lie seventh in the table and, unaccustomed to mediocrity, are seeking answers for a question that will take longer than this season to answer.

The Garden City club are winless in five matches - losing four of them - and look a shadow of their former selves. Naushad Moosa, in charge after the sacking of coach Carles Cuadrat, have seen a slight improvement in performances but BFC still look goal-shy.

The team appears bereft of ideas in the attacking third and is missing sharpness. At the back, they have two clean sheets in 11 games, a season after they kept a record 11.

Add to that further complication brought in after veteran midfielder Dimas Delgado returned to Spain for a family emergency on Sunday. Deshorn Brown has been let go while new signing Xisco Hernandez has just entered his mandatory quarantine.

“We have to cope with whatever we have. We have some quality players and we will be trying them. We are thinking how we can move ahead,” said Moosa ahead of the game.

“We got a good five-six days for training. We worked on all the things that we not going our way. Hopefully, we play a better game tomorrow.”

Shifting focus away from silverware for the season and making an effort to bleed in the youngsters to help in the transition for next season might be in the back of their minds. But with the teams around them in the table proving inconsistent, the lure of the top four remains.

“This is not what we are used to. So it is not easy for us,” confirmed Moosa. “It’s not like we have given up, we still have to fight for it. We still have nine games. Teams are still close by and things are still open. (But) we want to give youngsters playing time so that they are ready for the next year.”

Meanwhile Kerala Blasters come into the game with their own set of problems. Kibu Vicuna’s men are 10th in the table with a leaky defence and an inconsistent squad. They impress in patches, show character and fight but are often undone by their own hands.

An uphill battle awaits for both teams.