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Odisha FC will eye to get some momentum before the Indian Super League playoffs by sealing a positive result against NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday.
Having been in contention to finish at the top of the standings for a reasonable part of this season, the Odisha FC form has slipped lately, having dropped eight points out of a possible 15 in their last five matches. As of now, not only are they out of the race to become the ISL 2023-24 League Winners, but they also cannot finish the season in the second spot, which means that they will have to battle it out in the playoffs to qualify for the semi-finals. The Highlanders (NorthEast United) will be playing their final league fixture and will cap off in what has been an interesting season for them. Coming on the back of a dismal 2022-23 campaign, NorthEast United FC fared better under the watch of a new head coach in Juan Pedro Benali. The Highlanders have won five times and drew eight games in 21 matches. Though the top-six is out of their reach, they will want to bring curtains down to their campaign on an upbeat note. "We are proud we did our best. Sometimes, football is unfair. That day was unfair to us. Both the teams looked to win. If we could have gotten a draw at least, it would have been good for us. But, that's football. All the best to Chennaiyin FC and all the other teams who are in the playoffs," NorthEast United FC Head Coach Juan Pedro Benali said before the game as quoted from ISL. "The league's not over. We still have three points to play for. If you sum it up, we have gone from being in contention for the top-six to being in contention for the league shield, which says a lot about the efforts of the team and the staff. Today, the expectation is to set a high standard for the club," Odisha FC assistant coach Floyd Pinto said in the pre-match press conference. (ANI)
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