Goa: Bengaluru FC will take on a struggling tenth-placed, Odisha FC on Thursday at GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa. With a big victory in the last match against Kerala Blasters, Carles Cudrat’s side looked focus to stay unbeaten in the league. But Stuart Baxter and his side is planning to them hit-back.
After a slow start to the season, Bengaluru came back with back to back wins and now showing the strength they have in them. Sunil Chhetri has scored in their last two games and looking better. Brazilian Cleiton Silva looked better too in their last match and this means the team looks in shape from what it was before.
Cuadrat is very calm but focused and is not taking this Odisha side lightly, even if they have earned a single point out of their first five matches. “Teams like Odisha FC are very dangerous and we are all conscious of that. We know that they have been fighting for the points, it was not happening until now but one of these days they will win a game because they have the quality. They have a good head coach, good players and so it has to happen. So, there is no question that we are ready for the game and we are not overconfident,” he said.
Odisha on the other hand are in a plan to make an upset. They have been trying but failing to score in every match and that has made the difference between them and others. Players like Marcelinho, Manuel Onwu haven’t been firing and that has been their problem. But football is a funny game, you just need one chance and bang the table turns.
Baxter has been looking something like that against Bengaluru. He knows that the average age of Bengaluru is a bit on the higher side so that his team can capitalise on it. “Bengaluru [unbeaten so far in five games] have started the season well. They also had a few issues to iron out but they have been making progress and it will certainly be a tough game. But if you look at the league in general, every team that has won could have also possibly lost the game. We have experienced this in our games as well those small things have a big impact,” he said.
