ISL 2020-21: Odisha FC vs Bengaluru FC - Preview, Predicted Lineups and Channel

Preview

Odisha FC face Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) tomorrow at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim. The Kalinga Warriors are yet to win a match so far and with just one point from five matches, are second bottom in the table. On the other hand, Bengaluru FC’s form has seen an upward turn in the past few games and they are still one of the three unbeaten sides in the league.

https://twitter.com/OdishaFC/status/1339154743793393664

Odisha FC haven’t scored in four of the last five games and both Diego Mauricio and Manuel Onwu would be desperate to change that. In the last five meetings between Bengaluru and Odisha (or the erstwhile Delhi Dynamos), the Blues have won three while the Warriors bagged all three points twice. Another interesting statistic is that they haven’t scored at all at home this season. With the Bengaluru defence slowly finding its usual stability, it is again going to be a tough challenge for Marcelinho and company.

Squad Overview

The Blues will be hopeful of another favourable result after an impressive 4-2 victory over Kerala Blasters. The goals seem to be coming now and the attacking unit, led by Cleiton Silva, is slowly taking shape. In midfield, Dimas Delgado has been instrumental for everything creative and in Erik Paartalu and Suresh Wangjam, they have grit and flair in equal amounts.

https://twitter.com/bengalurufc/status/1339186464882454529

Carles Cuadrat will be expected not to tamper much with the eleven that got the win against the Blasters. Rahul Bheke should be back in the lineup to replace Pratik Chaudhari while Deshorn Brown might also get a look in in place of Kristian Opseth. Fran Gonzalez, Udanta Singh and Wungngayam Muirang are the others who might also get the nod if the head coach decides to rest a few of the usual starters.

For Odisha, the return of Vinit Rai, Hendry Antonay and Jerry Mawihmingthanga from injury hasn’t yielded much on the pitch yet. However, they have a number of impressive young players like Nandakumar Sekar, Saurabh Meher, Gaurav Bora and Laishram Singh who will be looking to turn the tide, starting from this match. Stuart Baxter also has to stop his defence from leaking goals and that is where George D’Souza and Mohammad Dhot might play a part. Another worrying aspect is that neither Manuel Onwu nor Diego Mauricio have been amongst goals in the last few games. Daniel Lalhlimpuia might be the answer to that question if given another chance.

Predicted Lineups and Result

Odisha FC:

Arshdeep Singh, Shubham Sarangi, Steven Taylor, Jacob Tratt, Hendry Antonay, Vinit Rai, Gaurav Bora, Cole Alexander, Marcelinho, Nandakumar Sekar, Diego Mauricio

Bengaluru FC:

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Harmanjot Khabra, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Ashique Kuruniyan, Suresh Wangjam, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri, Kristian Opseth

Result:

Odisha FC 0-2 Bengaluru FC

TV Channel and Livestream

The match will be telecast across Star Network’s sports and regional channels. The match can be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV. Kick-off is at 7:30 pm.