Not much will be at stake for the bottom-placed team on the Indian Super League table as they prepare for their penultimate fixture of the season. Having lost all but one — an upset for ATK Mohun Bagan — match of season 9, a win for NorthEast United FC on Friday will have a bearing on their honour but not on their position at 11 on the 11-team table.
It will, however, be a different story for Odisha FC at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. Waiting just a rung below the playoff cutout at seventh spot, the Josep Gombau-led visitors will have all to play for in their 18th game of the season. They will be level on points with FC Goa, who lost against Chennaiyin on Thursday, when they take the field on Friday and can end in the playoff zone after the final whistle.
“With two games to go, we are fighting to be in the playoffs. For us, it is a must-win game and we cannot miss this opportunity if we want to stay alive in the playoff race,” coach Gombau said at the pre-match interaction on Thursday.
“It will be a very difficult game against a team that has improved a lot over the last few weeks. We know we want to get a result here and we are working together to achieve this.”
Odisha showed a glimpse of their desire to be in the knockouts in their last match against the already-qualified Hyderabad FC when they etched out a confident 3-1 win at home. It ended their four-match winless streak and the Juggernauts will be eager to carry that show while changing their pathetic record on the road.
Diego Mauricio — with 11 goals this season and the last coming against Hyderabad last week — will once again be vital for Odisha in their quest for three points that will get them to replace FC Goa on the sixth spot. Gambau will be boosted by the return of Narender Gahlot and Sahil Panwar from suspensions and will bank on an encore of their victory against NEUFC in the first leg at Kalinga Stadium.
However, the visitors will be taking on an NEUFC team that will be buoyed by their fightback against another Kolkata team, East Bengal, that earned them only their second draw and fifth point of the season last week. They will be eager to finish their home campaign on a winning note.
“It is a must-win game for them. But it is also important for us to get some points tomorrow (Friday) for everyone with the team — players, staff, management, media — and our supporters. To do this even for a few supporters who have followed us throughout, is important,” Highlanders coach Vincenzo Annese said on Thursday.
Annese will be glad to have skipper Wilmar Gil back after serving suspension while also losing midfielder Pragyan Gogoi and defender Mashoor Shereef to their fourth bookings of the season in the last match, respectively. Pragyan’s brother, Parthib Gogoi, on the other hand, will be in contention for the starting XI after his stunning strike that earned them the draw against the red and golds.
