BHUBANESWAR: A come-from-behind win against Kerala Blasters at Kalinga Stadium notwithstanding, Odisha FC are aware of the task ahead as they host Bengaluru FC in their second Indian Super League encounter at home on Thursday.
Odisha know that the stats are stacked against them with Bengaluru winning four of the six encounters in the league between the two sides, while the Juggernauts have managed just one win so far. But the hosts are currently two rungs above their visitors on the third spot and will be optimistic of changing the fate of the clash between them this time around.
“The team has shown a very strong mentality. The comeback win in two games showed how hungry the players are and how strong their mentality is. I encourage them till the final whistle to work and fight,” Odisha FC coach Josep Gombau said at the pre-match interaction on Wednesday.
“It would be better if we could score first and win, but if we concede before we score, I think we have the capacity to overturn the game, just like we did in two of our games.”
Diego Mauricio and Pedro Martin, who scored the winner and his first goal in ISL against the Blasters after coming on as a substitute, will once again be crucial to the possession play that Gambau has managed to adapt to his team.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru’s season started with a win, then they settled for a point, and in their last match, they dropped all points against the defending champions Hyderabad FC, which was also coach Simon Grayson’s first loss with the club since taking over before the Durand Cup.
Their reliance on counter attacks has also been a bane for the Sunil Chhetri-led side that has failed to hold on to possession in spite of presence of strikers like Roy Krishna, Siva Narayanan and Javier Hernandez.
“I think we are doing okay, but okay is not going to be good enough in the long term. When we looked at pre-season games and training, we were pleased. But the ISL is a different experience with stronger teams and fans returning,” Grayson said on Wednesday.
