Goa: FC Goa would be looking to step up their game and build on the current six-game unbeaten run that they are currently on. They would face SC East Bengal on Friday, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
The Red and Gold, have in fact not been able to win any of their last three games. The Gaurs have fought against adversity time and again this season to string together another successful campaign so far under the helm of Juan Ferrando. The rejigged squad took some time to move through the gears. However, results and play in recent times have suggested that Ferrando is slowly but surely finding the right combinations in the different parts of the field.
So how have they been faring and what/who should you look to as the Gaurs take on the Torchbearers on Friday night at Fatorda? Here are 10 things you should know:
6 – FC Goa average 6 key passes and 3.2 accurate key passes per game. Only Chennaiyin FC (7 and 4.1 respectively) has a better record than the Gaurs in this respect. East Bengal averages 4.2 and 2.2 respectively in regards to these parameters.
11.6 – No one puts in more challenges or eke out interceptions than FC Goa per minute the opposition has the ball. The Gaurs mark on the Challenge Intensity Index is the highest in the league. SC East Bengal, meanwhile average 8.1 per minute – the second-lowest in the league.
14 – Friday’s game will be a fight between two sides who like to dominate possession. Their philosophies in the final third, though, seem to be a lot different. No team crosses the ball as much as FC Goa (14 per game at 25 per cent accuracy). On the other hand, Robbie Fowler’s men pose the least threat from crosses as the Torchbearers average 9 crosses per game (with 16 per cent accuracy).
20 – FC Goa’s 20 points after 13 games under a new permanent head coach is par for the course. Under Zico in 2014, the Gaurs were on 21 points after 13 games. Meanwhile under Sergio Lobera during the 2017/18 season, the Gaurs were exactly on 20 points after 13 matches.
37: Friday’s game brings together two of the most fouled players in the league. Jorge Ortiz leads the line for the Gaurs with 37 free-kicks conceded by opposing teams due to fouls on the Spaniard. On the other hand, SC East Bengal’s Jacques Maghoma leads the league in this respect with 42 fouls on him.
41 – The Gaurs’ mark of 41% accuracy in terms of keeping shots on target is the highest in the league. Juan Ferrando’s men in fact also take the highest number of shots on goal (13.2 per game) as well on target (5.4 per game). On the other hand, SC East Bengal averages the lowest number of shots on goal or on target – 8.5 and 3 respectively.
52: Friday’s game between FC Goa and SC East Bengal will be between two sides at the bottom of the table in regards to winning defensive challenges. The two sides both average 52 per cent success in regards to challenges won – good enough for the bottom two spots.
53: Among Indian central midfielders, Princeton Rebello’s mark of 53 per cent pass success rate into the penalty box is only bettered by Odisha Ashish Rai (amongst players having played 500 minutes or more this season).
54: FC Goa and SC East Bengal are two sides who enjoy their dribbles. The two teams combined, attempt 54 dribbles per game. No team other than Hyderabad FC attempts more dribbles than these two teams.
122: Saviour Gama is having an eye-catching season in his first one as the Gaurs’ first-choice left-back. The youngster has popped up time and again in the attacking third and has already bagged two assists. At the back, he leads the team with the most number of defensive challenges. His mark of 122 is the 11th best in the league.
