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ISL 2019-20: NorthEast United FC vs Bengaluru FC: Preview, Team News, Dream11, Fantasy Tips, Prediction, TV Info

NorthEast United FC play hosts to Bengaluru FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Wednesday, as both sides look to gain their momentum back in the league.

The NEUFC and BFC match will kick off early. Credit: ISL Media

Guwahati, Dec. 17: NorthEast United FC play hosts to Bengaluru FC in their Hero Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Wednesday, as both sides look to gain their momentum back in the league.

ISL 2019-20: NorthEast United FC vs Bengaluru FC match will see an early kick-off and will be open to spectatorsISL 2019-20: NorthEast United FC vs Bengaluru FC match will see an early kick-off and will be open to spectators

NorthEast FC Team News

NorthEast FC Team News

NorthEast United FC are coming into this game off a 3-0 loss to ATK at home and are now winless in three matches. Not only was it their first defeat of the season, but they also lost their star striker Asamoah Gyan to injury in that game.

"It was very bad for us. That was the worst match we played. We never played so badly before. We have to forget that day and continue working hard," NorthEast coach Robert Jarni said.

The Highlanders will again be without the prolific Ghanaian on Wednesday against Bengaluru. Gyan, who has three goals to his name, has been crucial to NorthEast setup so far. Without the former Premier League star, their attacking threat goes down a few notches and the other forwards will have their task cut out against a formidable Bengaluru defence which has conceded the least in the league.

However, Jarni would have had some time to formulate a plan of attack without Gyan, given that NorthEast have had a 10-day break after their last game, owing to the postponement of their home tie against Chennaiyin FC.

The return of Uruguayan attacking midfielder Federico Gallego in place of Maximiliano Barreiro also helps boost the Highlanders' attack. Gallego, who contributed 4 goals and as many assists last season, makes his ISL return after suffering a leg break coincidentally against Bengaluru FC last season.

NorthEast's defence has not been in great form of late, conceding six goals in three matches. The defence, led by Kai Heerings, need to step up to the task.

"The game is difficult. We know that Bengaluru is one of the best teams in India but we saw that the game was open in Bengaluru. We had the possibility to win and the same for tomorrow, so who knows what will happen tomorrow (Wednesday)," said Jarni.

Bengaluru FC Team News

Bengaluru FC Team News

Bengaluru FC come into this game after seeing their unbeaten start to the season come to an end against Mumbai City FC who won 3-2, thanks to an injury-time goal from Rowllin Borges.

However, despite the three goals they shipped on Sunday, Bengaluru have conceded only five goals so far this season and are the best defensive unit in the ISL by far.

It is the attack that should worry Carles Cuadrat though. Apart from Sunil Chhetri, none of the attackers seems to be in form. Ashique Kuruniyan is yet to open his account for the season and has put in some below-par performances so far.

"Last year we were champions but we lost an important player (Miku). We have been unlucky about the situation now. Ashique is with 0 assists and 0 goals and Udanta only one goal. So, of course, we have problems that way but at the same time we work in a way where they help us defensively," explained Cuadrat.

In their 4 away matches so far, Bengaluru have scored just three goals and their shot accuracy and conversion rates have been disappointing. They are also struggling to score from open play. Four of their last five goals have come from set-pieces.

Head-to-Head:

Head-to-Head:

NorthEast have beaten Bengaluru just once in seven meetings between the two and the visitors will look to further improve that record. BFC have won on four occasions, while they have played out two draws. The two sides played out a goalless draw last time in the opening week of the current season.

Prediction:

Prediction:

Bengaluru will hope to score some goals in Guwahati this time around and overcome the shock loss to Mumbai in their last game. The Blues will head into the game as the favourites, but the hosts would look to salvage a draw in front of the home crowd. The match will see an early start and will be open to the fans, as opposed to the prior statement, which had said the match would be played closed doors due to the unrest in the Assam capital.

Probable XI:

Probable XI:

NorthEast United FC: Subhasish Roy (GK), Mislav Komorski, Kai Heerings, Rakesh Pradhan, Reagan Singh, Jose Leudo, Panagiotis Triadis, Redeem Tlang, Martin Chaves, Milan Singh, Nikhil Kadam

Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Albert Serran, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra, Nishu Kumar, Erik Paartalu, Raphael Augusto, Dimas Delgado, Sunil Chhetri (C), Ashique Kuruniyan, Udanta Singh

Match Info:

Match Info:

NEUFC will host BFC at 6:00pm IST in Guwahati on Wednesday.

Live on Star Sports Network

Live Streaming on Hotstar & Jio TV

Source: ISL Media

Story first published: Tuesday, December 17, 2019, 22:43 [IST]
Other articles published on Dec 17, 2019