East Bengal FC aim to get back to winning ways with the away fixture against FC Goa

EBFC will go into the game on the back of a 0-2 loss against the reigning Hero ISL champions Hyderabad FC. Despite creating several chances in the game and playing valiantly in large swathes, the Red & Golds suffered their tenth defeat.

As far as the head to head record is concerned, East Bengal FC have faced the Gaurs six times so far, winning twice, drawing twice and losing twice. The Red & Gold Brigade’s most recent win against FC Goa came during Hero ISL 2021-22 when they won 2-1 in January 2022.

While EBFC are currently placed ninth in the league table with 12 points from 14 games (4 wins and 10 losses), FC Goa currently occupy the fifth spot with 23 points from 15 games (7 wins, 2 draws and 6 defeats).

The Gaurs will go into Thursday’s contest on the back of a 3-1 victory against Kerala Blasters FC. It was their first win in five games. The last time the two sides met, it was a close game. EBFC forward Cleiton Silva netted the equaliser for his side in the 64 th minute, but a stoppage time goal from FCG skipper Edu Bedia meant that the Kolkata-based Club ended up on the losing side.

Speaking to the media on the eve of the game, EBFC Head Coach Stephen Constantine said, “I think our aggression in the Hyderabad game was something that we had been missing for some time. Anybody who knows me knows the kind of football I want my team to play. We haven’t consistently done what we should be doing, but we did it in the last game against the second-placed team. We’ve played against teams that have much better quality than us, but we haven’t stopped fighting.”

EBFC goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh, who accompanied Constantine for the pre-match press conference said, “It’s a process. This is the first time that we are playing together as a group. Some things take time. We are all working very hard to end the season on a positive note. Let’s see where we stand at the end of the season.”