FC Goa vs Bengaluru FC: Things to expect and Dream 11 prediction from the ISL match

Two times runner-up FC Goa will take on former champions Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League 2021-22 season for the first time at GMC Athletic Stadium in Goa. This would be Goa's fifth match of the season and Bengaluru's sixth. Erstwhile two of the strongest teams in the league, both find themselves in a rather unusual position this year with FC Goa tenth on the table and Bengaluru just 2 places above them on eighth but with only one point advantage.

FC Goa will be expected to go into the game with more confidence. The Gaurs won their first points of the season, after overcoming Kolkata giants SC East Bengal 4-3 earlier this week. On the contrary, Bengaluru has gone three matches without a win with the last two ending up in a loss against Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC. This is the worst ever start for Bengaluru in their ISL history with only four points coming in the first five games.

But there's still a lot left in the season and both teams will look to climb up the table by registering a win today and also gain some momentum for coming matches. Ahead of the clash, here are the five things we can expect to happen:

It Won't be a Goalless Draw

FC Goa have conceded eleven goals in five games this season which is second most after SC East Bengal and they haven't kept a clean sheet yet in this campaign. But even worrying stat is that they haven't kept a clean sheet against Bengaluru FC ever in ISL history. The only time Blues couldn't score against them in regulation time was in the 2018-19 ISL final when Rahul Bheke's 117th-minute winner became the difference between the two sides. But Bengaluru have got a pretty similar record as well. They haven't kept a CS in their last nine games either with the last clean sheet coming against Chennaiyin in February. So don't expect either side to keep a clean sheet tonight.

Bengaluru to Open the Proceedings

In the last nine games between the two clubs, BFC have been the first to score in eight of the nine encounters. The Gaurs scored first only once which was last season, in their penultimate league encounter, a 2-1 victory for Ferrando's side. Gaurs have conceded first in three of the four games this season as well. So they could find themselves on the back foot once again.

Passing and Possession to be the Key Factors

The matchup on Saturday night will feature the two teams with the most possession during ISL games this season. FC Goa has sixty-six percent of the ball on average, while BFC is second in the league with sixty percent. FCG also leads the league in passes per game (543), with BFC coming in second with 460 passes per game. The Gaurs have the best passing accuracy (eighty-five), while the Blues have got a close eighty-three. These stats make the upcoming game even more exciting as both will look to play to their strengths.

High-Intensity Attacking Game

Saturday night's matchup is expected to be high-octane, with high-pressing expected to be the norm. In terms of the Challenge Intensity Index, the two teams are atop the league. FCG leads the league with 13, while BFC comes in second with 12.3. In the ISL current season, only HFC (93) had more attacks per game than FCG (90). With 88 attacks per game, Bengaluru is a close third. It's quite visible that both teams like to play end to end football and there will be no holding back from either side in this must-win game. In short, fans can expect an entertaining encounter for sure.

Cleiton Silva vs Jorge Ortiz

Both Cleiton and Jorge are overseas stars of their respective teams. And both are also leading the attack of the two teams now. Both Cleiton with 2 goals and 1 assist, and Jorge with 3 assists and 1 goal are top goal contributors of Bengaluru FC and FC Goa respectively. There won't be any surprise if we get our Hero of the match from either of the two as both will surely look to win the game for their respective teams.

In a nutshell, this could turn out to be one of the most entertaining games of ISL this season and if that happens then it will be a win for football as a whole irrespective of who takes the ball home.

Head to Head

In the Indian Super League, FC Goa and Bengaluru FC have met nine times. The Gaurs have only two victories to their name, whereas Bengaluru FC has five. The other two games finished in a stalemate.

Possible Line-ups:

FC Goa (3-5-2): Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (GK), Mohamed Ali, Ivan Gonzalez, Aibanbha Dohling, Seriton Fernandes, Glan Martins, Alberto Noguera, Edu Bedia, Saviour Gama, Devendra Murgaonkar, Jorge Ortiz Mendoza.

Bengaluru FC (4-3-3): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Naorem Roshan Singh, Pratik Chaudhari, Alan Costa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jayesh Rane, Bruno Ramires, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Prince Ibara, Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri.

Telecast

The match between FC Goa and Bengaluru FC will take place on December 11, 2021, at 9:30 p.m. at the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolim. The match will be telecasted LIVE on Star Sports Network and will be streamed live on Disney+Hotstar and JioTV. Foreign viewers can switch to the OneFootball app to watch the game LIVE from anywhere in the world outside India.

Dream 11 Prediction

Dheeraj, Ivan, Ashique, Roshan, Costa, Glan, Noguera,Bruno Chhetri, Ortiz(VC), Silva(C)