ISL Adda Notes: Here are the numbers to ace Matchweek 11

Almost halfway into the Indian Super League 2020-21 season, and the spectators have duly gotten the idea of what can be expected. As things stand, Mumbai City FC top the ISL table with 22 points after nine games, and the Islanders are closely followed by ATK Mohun Bagan, who sit second with 20 points.

The matchweek 11 of ISL 7 kicks off with NorthEast United FC taking on Hyderbad FC at the Tilak Maidan, and here’s everything you need to know about every fixture:

NorthEast United FC vs Hyderabad FC

Hyderabad FC are entering the contest at the back of a thrilling 4-1 win over Chennaiyin FC. The Nizams have, in fact, won two of their last five games and it is safe to say that they have the momentum as opposed to the Highlanders, who have lost twice and drawn thrice in the same number of fixtures.

NorthEast United FC vs Hyderabad FC head-to-head count is evenly poised as the teams have met just twice in the league, and both have registered a win apiece.

Interestingly, the Nizams are more likely to score in the second half with 10 of their 11 goals this season coming after the first 45 minutes of play. Furthermore, with respect to the current form, one can rightly expect them to come out victorious. NEUFC, however, are expected to draw the first blood as they have opened the scoring in the opening 15 minutes twice this season. Hyderabad FC, on the other hand, are yet to score any.

As far as scorers are concerned, one can easily punt on HFC’s Aridane Santana, who has bagged five goals this season. 

Bengaluru FC vs SC East Bengal

The first-ever meeting of the two giants of Indian football is expected to be a cracker. Bengaluru FC, to everyone’s surprise, have struggled for results this season, but none so more than East Bengal, who have a solitary victory to show for in nine games. As far as their current form goes, both the teams have accumulated six points from their last five games, with BFC winning two, while SCEB winning one and drawing three.

Both the teams have been quite identical in their scoring so far, accumulating four goals in the opening 45 minutes. As far as the defensive front is concerned, East Bengal have conceded a whopping 12 goals in the second period this season compared to BFC’s tally of seven.

None of the teams have kept a clean sheet in their last five games, and thus the possibility of this being a stalemate is less.

Chennaiyin FC vs Odisha FC

Odisha FC picked their first victory of the season on January 7 and will be riding high on confidence as they take on Chennaiyin FC at the GMC Stadium on Sunday, January 10.

Quite surprisingly, CFC vs OFC head to head figures favours the latter as they have won one of their only two meetings in the league. The other one ended in a draw. Odisha FC have conceded the second-most goals this season and a whopping 11 of their 16 goals conceded have been netted in the first-half itself. That figuratively means Chennaiyin FC are most likely to score the opener as they have scored five of their eight goals this season in the opening 45 minutes.

If the game is to see a goal, one can rightly tip Odisha’s Diego Mauricio to be a part of it as he has netted five times in nine appearances so far.

Jamshedpur FC vs Kerala Blasters FC

Jamshedpur FC have been quite a revelation under Owen Coyle this season, winning three of their nine games, while losing just twice. Acquiring the fourth spot in the tally, the team takes on Kerala Blasters in their 10th game of the league on Sunday at Tilak Maidan.

Jamshedpur FC are unbeaten in their head to head record against Kerala Blasters, winning two of their six meetings. The game highly tips them to walk away with three points, given how poor the Tuskers have been on the defensive front, conceding the league-high 17 goals this season. The Tuskers have conceded seven goals in the opening half and 10 in the second period, highlighting why they could be the second-best.

As far as JFC’s scoring record goes, they have scored as many goals as their Sunday’s opponents (10), and a certain Nerijus Valskis has scored more than half of it (6). So now you know who to punt on.

ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City FC

Arguably the biggest fixture of the gameweek, ATK Mohun Bagan take on Mumbai City FC in a battle to acquire the top spot in the tally. Both teams have been in a scorching form this season, with ATKMB winning three of their last five games, while Mumbai registering four victories in their last five. None of the teams have lost a game in their previous five outings.

The two teams have been a different spectrum this season, with ATKMB conceding the fewest goals (3) and MCFC scoring a league-high 16 goals so far.

For ATKMB, they have found it hard to open the scoring as all of their 10 goals this season have come after the half-hour mark. In fact, nine of those 10 strikes have come in the second half itself. Mumbai, on the other hand, have notched 10 goals in the opening 45 minutes. The Islanders are averaging two goals per game in their last five outings, scoring 10 goals while keeping two clean sheets.

It is hard to predict the result of games likes these, but one can rightly expect goals in the contest, with either Roy Krishna or Adam Le Fondre (or maybe both) playing big roles.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @MumbaiCityFC