With only a handful of games left in the Indian Super League before it reaches the playoffs, it is safe to say there is no margin for error for any side from this point on. After 14 rounds of play, FC Goa acquire the top spot in the tally and they are closely followed by the defending champions, Bengaluru FC, who are only two points away.
As ATK sit third, the likes of Odisha FC and Mumbai City FC are battling for the final place, with the former leading the latter by only a point.
Back in England, Liverpool are leading the charge all ends up, leaving the other sides to fight for a Champions League spot. Chelsea, who sit fourth, enjoy a six-point lead over the fifth-placed Manchester United and face a stern away test against Leicester City.
The biggest game of all, however, will see Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho returning to the fray, with Manchester City making a trip to London to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Tottenham vs Manchester City
Free-flowing Manchester City have found it hard to snatch the games of late and given the fixture congestion the Premier League sides are experiencing, the Citizens taking on Tottenham remains a must-watch game in one’s bucket list.
6 - Manchester City have conceded the first goal in six of their last nine Premier League home games, as many as they had in their first 60 under Pep Guardiola. Correction. #MCICRY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 18, 2020
Tottenham, in pursuit of finishing their campaign inside top-four, have only won just one of their last five league encounters, and the last thing they would want in their tracking is to face Manchester City. The game promises goals, to say least given that the last 0-0 draw between the teams was played way back in 2010. City, on their part, have always dominated Tottenham away from home, but expect fatigue to play its bit part on Sunday.
As far as statistics are concerned, City have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight Premier League appearances. Thus, it is safe to say they are tipped to net at least once against Tottenham.
Watch out for:
Kevin De Bruyne: Enjoying another stellar campaign under Guardiola, midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has already registered seven goals and 15 assists in the Premier League this season. His record in his last nine outings read; three goals and a whopping six assists, meaning that he is involved in at least one goal per game. With Tottenham struggling in front of goal, expect the other side to wreak havoc and count on De Bruyne to play a big role in that.
Odisha FC vs FC Goa
League leader FC Goa are scheduled to make a trip to the Kalinga Stadium to square off against Odisha FC on Wednesday. The fact that both teams need a win to assert a claim to their challenge makes this fixture a worthy watch.
Goa, after a strong start to their new campaign, have stumbled twice in their last five outings, both of which have come away from home. Odisha, on the other hand, have only lost one of their last five games and are unbeaten at home since mid-December. What makes life more difficult for Goa though is that Odisha have scored at least twice in four of their recent five outings, meaning that they are extremely likely to score on Wednesday.
The teams have already met once this season, and it were Goa who managed to run riot, emerging 3-0 victorious on the back of Ferran Corominas’ brace.
Watch out for:
Aridane Santana: The big man in form for Odisha, Aridane Santana has slowly become one of the most influential figures in the Indian Super League. The Spanish centre-forward is scoring goals at will and his recent return of five goals and one assist in last four games is surely a thing of bother for Goa. His stats suggest that he is currently one of the best strikers in the league, having managed more shots (36) or shots on target (15) than any other player in the league.
It wasn’t his day the last time these sides met, but expect a sense of vengeance this time around.
Feature image courtesy: AFP / Oli Scarff
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Feature image courtesy: AFP / Oli Scarff
