ISL 7: Looking for a spark, Bengaluru face struggling Odisha
Jan 23, 2021
Margao (Goa) [India], January 23 : Bengaluru FC find themselves in a tough spot in the Indian Super League (ISL). The team has lost five of their last six games. After the exit of Carles Cuadrat, interim coach Naushad Moosa has not been able to turn things around. On Sunday though, he has the chance to spark a recovery when they face ISL's bottom-dwellers Odisha FC at the Fatorda Stadium.
"A win gives us three points and it will push us higher in the table. Just a matter of winning one game. Just that one win is very important for us. The dynamics will change entirely," Moosa said in an ISL release.
Bengaluru is in the seventh spot, a position the team is not too familiar with, but still has a chance to progress into the knockout phase.
"Of course, the (position on the) points table is something we are not used to. They know the importance of each match now. We are being positive. Apart from the top two, all are very close. We have to keep fighting," added Moosa, who stressed on the importance of not conceding easy goals if they are to make it to the playoffs.
Bengaluru had a good game against Kerala but the result wasn't in their favour. However, Moosa believes that his side can win against Odisha, if they take their chances.
Meanwhile, Odisha has won just one match so far, and coach Stuart Baxter would be aiming to register his second win in the competition. But the Englishman believes his side will have to defend strongly and play their best in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
"We had chances to beat bigger clubs like ATKMB but to do that against anybody -- not just Bengaluru -- we have to defend well, take our chances and play our own game. If we do that with quality, I think we have shown that we can run everybody close," Baxter said.
