Kamal Ghorui
Having secured just one point from their last five games and sitting just above relegation-threatened wooden spooners Mohammedan Sporting Club on the 14-team Indian Super League roster, Odisha FC have their backs against the wall as they take on Bengaluru FC at their ‘home away from home’ in Goa on Monday.With six points (one win, three draws and five defeats) from nine games so far, the Juggernauts have hardly rolled this season. Struggling at 13th spot, only three points separate them from the Kolkata side, who have three after playing 10 games.Having only four games left, including the one at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday, Odisha will be looking for some comforting points to distance themselves from the danger zone following a 0–3 defeat against East Bengal in their last outing.As the truncated season nears its business end, the Kalinga Warriors virtually have no time left to regroup and move away from hovering over the drop zone, as relegation-promotion in the top tier of Indian football has come into effect from this edition.OFC head coach TG Purushothaman acknowledged the pressure the league table reflects but insisted there was no need to panic.“There is no need for major changes or an overhaul. Only small adjustments are required to achieve our internal targets,” he said at the pre-match press conference in Goa on Sunday.With the stakes high for the Bhubaneswar-based side, they will need to play out of their skin and convert flashes of attacking intent into goals if they are to stand a chance against sixth-placed Bengaluru FC (15 points), who will be eager to push for the top spots with only three games left.Bengaluru have endured a mixed season so far, with four wins, four draws and two losses from 10 games. They are winless in their last three matches, losing one of them. They come into the contest on the back of a hard-fought goalless draw against Mumbai City FC but will have their task cut out against a side that has conceded 17 goals while scoring nine.BFC, on the other hand, have conceded 10 goals in 10 matches while scoring 14. Carlos Delgado-led OFC defence will therefore have a stern test in keeping the Bengaluru attackers in check.BFC head coach Pep Muñoz, still searching for his first win in the ISL after taking over from Renedy Singh, will hope his fortunes with the Blues change against Odisha.“It’s not going to be an easy game, but we’re focused and ready to give our all tomorrow,” Muñoz said ahead of the match on Sunday.While Rahul KP’s availability kept Purushothaman guessing on the eve of the game, Bengaluru will miss the services of Ashique Kuruniyan and Nikhil Poojary, both sidelined with muscle injuries for the crucial encounter.
