Former champions Bengaluru FC will be looking to solidify their spot in the top four when they face bottom-placed NorthEast United FC in the 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL). The game will take place at the PJN Stadium in Margao, Goa on Friday.
Marco Pezzaiuoli's Bengaluru FC have so far enjoyed a rich vein of form, sitting sixth in the table with 23 points after 16 games. Their nine-match unbeaten streak was snapped in a 2-1 loss to Hyderabad FC in their last outing.
The Blues are one win away from advancing to the semi-finals, while a draw keeps their position in the standings unchanged.
NorthEast United FC, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the table with only 10 points from 17 games. The Highlanders have been in a rut for quite a long time, having failed to win a single game in their last six outings.
NorthEast United FC vs Bengaluru FC: Head to Head
Prior to this match, the Blues and Highlanders had met 11 times. The Highlanders have only won once, while the club from the south have won six times. The two teams have played out four draws, two of which occurred during the 2020-21 ISL season.
Matches played: 11
Bengaluru wins: 6
NorthEast United wins: 1
Draws: 4
Top scorers in the current season
NorthEast United FC: Deshorn Brown (Six goals in nine matches)
Bengaluru FC - Cleiton Silva (Five goals from 10 matches)
Clean sheets in the current season
Bengaluru FC - Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Three cleansheets in 13 matches)
NorthEast United FC: Subhashish Roy (One clean sheet in seven matches), Mirshad Michu (One clean sheet in six matches)
More stats and numbers you need to know
Most saves: Mirshad Michu - 32 (NEUFC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 33 (BFC)
Most passes: Alan Costa - 710 (BFC), Hernan Santana - 620 (NEUFC)
Most interceptions: Hernan Santana - 41 (NEUFC), Bruno Silva - 33 (BFC), Alan Costa - 24 (BFC)
Most tackles: VP Suhair - 76 (NEUFC), Bruno Silva - 85 (BFC)