Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC will take on Mohun Bagan in a clash between two contrasting styles of play in the Indian Super League (ISL) in Bhubaneswar Sunday.
Although the hosts have managed only a triumph against the visitors in their previous 11 meetings, the former will be desperate to utilise their home advantage to the fullest this term.
Notably, the Juggernauts are unbeaten versus the Mariners at home in their last three engagements, winning once and drawing twice.
Moreover, OFC is on a home scoring streak — scoring in 16 of their 17 home outings under Sergio Lobera’s watch.At the same time, Bagan boasts of a tight defence, as the side is coming off three straight clean sheets, besides having netted multiple goals in all those meetings and winning each of them.
Currently, Mohun Bagan is placed second in the points table with 13 points from six matches, whereas Odisha is ninth with eight points in seven games.
The Juggernauts have averaged over two strikes in their previous eight home contests — their longest such streak in ISL to date.
Also, with the likes of Roy Krishna and Diego Mauricio, Lobera has reliable strikers to turn things around and execute pressure on the opposition’s backline.
Odisha is famous for its possession-based game-play, averaging 8.6 sequences of 10-plus passes per game, the most in ISL alongside Bengaluru FC.
Meanwhile, the Mariners are coming off a run of three ISL victories with clean sheets, including success over Mohammedan SC (3-0) and East Bengal FC (2-0), highlighting their defensive resilience.
Their organised backline is portrayed by the fact that they have earned expected goals against (xGA) total of just 4.83 this season — the second lowest among all teams — trailing only Punjab FC (4.33).
Mohun Bagan has also been persistent in converting most of the chances from set-pieces — seven goals from set-pieces this season — leading the league in this metric, just ahead of Odisha (6).
Ahead of the fixture, Odisha head coach Lobera asserted that utilising the home advantage will be of utmost importance for his side.
“I have full trust in my players. Kalinga is a very special place. I am hopeful we can go into the international break with three points to our name,” Lobera said.
Meanwhile, MBSG head coach Jose Molina sounded his faith in his team previaling over the hosts’ star players Roy Krishna and Hugo Boumous.
“There’s always extra motivation to do well against your former team. In my opinion, they are good players,” Molina said.
“I have full respect for them. But, I also have confidence in my players and our preparation.”
The two sides have met on 11 instances in the competition, with the Mariners winning five ties, whereas five have resulted in a draw. Only once have OFC emerged triumphant.
Also, the Juggernauts’ Ahmed Jahouh will become the first player to play 100 ISL encounters under a single head coach.
Besides, a goal here for Diego Mauricio against the visitors would mark the 11th team he scores against in the ISL — behind Bartholomew Ogbeche (14), Sunil Chhetri (14) and Roy Krishna (12).
PTI
