Difficult start
NEUFC head coach Marco Balbul was sent off for the second time this season last week against Jamshedpur FC, and will not be in the dugout for this game. Assistant coach, Paul Groves, will take charge and was pressed about the team’s difficult start to the season in his pre-match press conference.
“I think if you talk about the mentality, the one thing that the players have been is consistent. They’ve worked very hard every single day and tried to implement everything. At times, we’ve lacked the quality in the final third to make sure that we finish off a chance or create a better chance. We’ve had opportunities, but not done enough,” he said.
Not ideal
While NEUFC were not early favourites this season, the same cannot be said of their opponents. KBFC made the perfect start to their campaign, winning 3-1 at home against East Bengal FC in the season opener to send their home crowd into raptures. Since then, however, it has not been ideal.
They have not had too many issues with the forward line, which has brought them six goals so far this season. But on the other end, they have conceded 10 goals, which is more than any other side in ISL so far this season.
Vukomanovic buoyant
Ivan Vukomanovic, the man who led KBFC to the ISL finals last season, said he was not deterred by his team’s slow start to the season.
“In football, you’ve to try to keep the momentum. If you look at all four games, I think in all four, we showed some quality. We showed in the first game that we deserved to win, and in the next games showed the way we wanted to play with the high press, with many moments to explore on the pitch,” he said.
Head-to-Head/TV info
The two sides have faced each other 16 times, with KBFC coming out on top six times, losing four times, and six matches ending in a draw. KBFC have accumulated more wins against NEUFC than any other side in the league, but there is not a lot between the two teams as far as head-to-head history is considered. The two sides drew their first match 0-0 last season and the second resulted in a 2-1 win for KBFC. Both sides desperately need a win, which will add another layer of tension to this encounter.
Kick-off: NEUFC vs KBFC
Kick-off date: Saturday, November 5
Kick-off time: 7.30pm IST
Kick-off venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati.
Live telecast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: Disney+ HotStar and JioTV
Source: ISL Media.
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