Masters of comeback in recent times, Odisha FC host a battered and bruised NorthEast United FC in their eighth match of Indian Super League (ISL) at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday, hoping to leapfrog Hyderabad FC to the second spot and go level on points with leaders Mumbai City FC.
With five wins and two losses so far, the Kalinga Warriors will be eager to pounce on a side that is going through one of the worst starts ever by any club in ISL. The Marco Balbul-coached wooden spooners are currently on a seven-match losing streak.
Without a single point and lacking answers to their worries in every department of the game, there seems to be no end to the Highlanders’ problems which are compounding with every match. The Guwahati club has scored only thrice — the lowest — in seven games this edition and has leaked in 16 times, the most by any team so far. These stats show their worries upfront as well as at the back, alongside the fact that the midfield has also failed to function.
Odisha, on the other hand, have looked to be the most indomitable side in recent matches. They emerged winners in the last two games from almost nowhere. In their last match, against Chennaiyin FC, the Juggernauts snatched all three points five minutes into the second-half added time. And in the game before, Odisha turned the tables to beat East Bengal 4-2 after being down to 0-2. High on confidence, Josep Gombau’s boys are eyeing a hat-trick of wins for the first time this season.
However, their Spanish coach is cautious not to be complacent against their hapless opponents. “We will approach this game as we approach every other game. We have a lot of respect for NorthEast. In the last two games, they faced two strong opponents, and in certain moments, especially against ATK Mohun Bagan, they were drawing until the last moment,” said Gombau.
“That is something we have in mind. Every single game in this league is difficult. Out of respect for them, we will prepare for this game the same way we prepare for other games.”
Balbul, on the other hand, has a tough task to keep the beleaguered squad motivated for the battles ahead as the league is not even in the halfway stage.
“The staff is good and they help me a lot. The players are highly motivated in training and are working very hard. I cannot complain about the effort on the pitch because in every game they fight till the end,” said Balbul. “It’s not easy to keep going and stay motivated with these results. But we believe we can change things on the pitch. We will keep going and fight in every game until we change the situation.”
In ISL, the sides have played each other six times with Odisha coming out winners thrice while NEUFC were victorious on two occasions. In the only meeting between the two clubs earlier this year, Odisha enjoyed a thumping 6-0 win over NEUFC in Durand Cup and on Friday, the Bhubaneswar-based side would like to repeat that recent performance towards achieving their goal of moving up the ISL 2022-23 ladder.
