ISL: FC Goa aim first home points against NEUFC

FC Goa will look to continue their winning momentum and secure their first home win of the season when they face a struggling NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Friday. FC Goa have struggled in their last two home fixtures, losing to Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC.

But the Gaurs returned to winning ways against East Bengal last week with a narrow 3-2 victory in Kolkata, while the reigning Durand Cup champions NEUFC, who played out a 1-1 draw with Kerala Blasters FC, are still in search of their first win. FC Goa will look forward to young players stepping up in the absence of a few seniors due to injuries and head coach Manolo Marquez urged that the team needs to adapt to situations better than the previous games.

“We have a lot of things to improve on. It’s true that the other day, we played good in some moments, and we need to learn to manage the situations better,” Marquez said.

“We have players with experience, who are injured. We have played a lot of young guys, especially in the form of substitutions, and they need to adapt to the ISL.”

The last time the two teams met in the ISL, the Highlanders overcame the Gaurs 2-0. If they are able to achieve the similar feat again, it will be a new record for Juan Pedro Benali’s side. NorthEast United have never been able to defeat Goa in consecutive games, setting up a fascinating narrative for this clash.

Benali is wary of the threat that Goa possess and refused to downplay the hosts despite a shaky start to the season. He said, “It is going to be a very difficult game. It’s a very good team with great players and a very good coach — the national team coach, in fact.

“He knows each player very well. It won’t be easy. We need to be strong, focused, not give them enough space, and we will need to play smart,” said Benali. FC Goa and NorthEast have played each other 20 times in the ISL.

The Gaurs have emerged victorious on six occasions, while the Highlanders were on the winning side on four times with 10 games ending in draws. FC Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani will also near a personal milestone, and is one game away from registering 100 appearances in the ISL.

He will become the sixth goalkeeper to achieve this milestone after Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rehenesh TP, Vishal Kaith and Arindam Bhattacharja. The match will also see a battle for supremacy between Alaeddine Ajaraie of NEUFC and Armando Sadiku of FC Goa.

Ajaraie has attempted more shots (14) in the ISL than FC Goa’s Armando Sadiku. The latter has registered six shots from outside the box and scored once in the process. Marquez has won five ISL games against the Highlanders. If Goa win, it would be his sixth win, levelling his record against Chennaiyin FC.

The only team he has beaten on more occasions is East Bengal (7). NorthEast United will also hope that Guillermo Fernandez gets to open his account. He has emerged as the player with most touches in the opposition box (19) but he is yet to open his tally.