ISL 2022-23: Odisha FC and East Bengal FC face similar challenges in pursuit of consistency

In Matchweek 14 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23, Odisha FC will play host to East Bengal FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday (ISL). 

East Bengal FC is in eighth place in the standings, seven points behind sixth-place Odisha FC. FC Goa lost to Hyderabad FC on Thursday, giving Odisha FC another opportunity to bolster their playoff push.

Odisha FC showed flashes of promise against Mumbai City FC last week, but ultimately fell short 4-2, suffering their third defeat in as many games. Odisha FC has only accrued one point during that time, but FC Goa's inconsistent play means that the two teams are currently tied on 19 points at the bottom of the top six.

Odisha FC's defence has been tested on both sides of the field after allowing eight goals in the previous four games, with the goals against Mumbai City FC being their first in that time. The performances of Diego Mauricio and Nandhakumar Sekar have been the major pluses. The former has five goals and three assists this year, while the latter has been a part of four goals. Last week, the former's second goal provided one of the season's best moments.

Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau was quite upbeat about his team's chances to win the game against East Bengal FC in the pre-match press conference. "We know that this is an important game. We know that these three points means a lot for us, and this is the way that we approach the week," he said.

Also read: ISL 2022-23: Playoffs challenge on the line as Chennaiyin FC takes on Jamshedpur FC

East Bengal FC reversed a losing streak of three games with a 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC in their most recent match. Currently, East Bengal FC has one of the top three goal scorers in the ISL. 

Since Cleiton Silva has scored seven of their team's 13 goals, head coach Stephen Constantine is aware that his Brazilian forward will need help from the rest of the team to move up the standings; however, given Odisha FC and FC Goa's recent performances, East Bengal FC may still make a late push for the playoffs.

But the side has made concessions elsewhere as well. Additionally, East Bengal FC has allowed 20 goals so far this year. During the pre-game press conference, Constantine stated that he was not very concerned about this statistic.

"Honestly, if I win 2-1, I don't care. If I lose 3-0, then yeah, I care. We don't deliberately try to concede goals. This is the nature of the game. I would be more concerned if we haven't won four games. If that makes sense," he said.

In their five ISL encounters, Odisha FC has only once fallen to East Bengal FC. Odisha FC has triumphed on each occasion before. On November 18, they defeated East Bengal FC 4-2 in their season-opening matchup between the two teams.

• Odisha FC
• East Bengal FC
• ISL 2022-23
• Indian Super League
• Football