A run of six consecutive draws has led to FC Goa going from favorites to finish third behind Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan to fighting for a spot in the top four in the Indian Super League (ISL). They take on Odisha FC at the Fatorda Stadium here on Wednesday and will be vying to break that unwanted streak.
Goa currently lies in fourth, level on points with fourth-placed Hyderabad and only two points adrift of Bengaluru FC in sixth. They have three games left to play in the league stage and the match against bottom-placed Odisha FC could be their best chance to take three points.
Goa has made something of a habit of coming back to salvage points after going behind, something that they did in their last-gasp draw against Chennaiyin FC. No team has won more points after conceding the first goal than them. However, coac Juan Ferrando will be wondering why his team only wakes up after going behind.
“At this moment, our mentality is to continue working,” he said. “It is not possible to change more details. I hope these draws in the future will be wins.”
Odisha, meanwhile, is trudging along from defeat to defeat. This season’s stats make for some dismal reading for them. They’ve lost ten matches, the most by any team, and kept just one clean sheet, the least by any team. It has been eight games since they last tasted a win. Their last three games have seen them concede a whopping nine goals. However, their interim head coach Gerald Peyton sounded confident ahead of the contest against Goa.
“I’m going to stay with the facts,” he said. “Goa is a good passing team. I know how they will play against us. I know their tactics. Without giving tactics away, we will play a certain way. It’s going to be important that we start straight from the off.”
