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Bengaluru FC will welcome East Bengal FC to the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on the third matchday of the 2023-24 Indian Super League season on Wednesday.
The Blues are currently in a spot of bother after suffering back-to-back defeats in their first two games. Their head coach Simon Grayson has encountered difficulties in finding the right tactical approach, resulting in resounding defeats to both Kerala Blasters FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
Nonetheless, Bengaluru FC are now returning to a venue where they have achieved significant victories over the past few years. The Sree Kanteerava Stadium was a fortress for them last season, and Grayson will be optimistic that his side can bounce back and deliver strong performances in front of their loyal supporters.
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The English tactician is certainly relying on the home crowd to help them secure their first victory of the season.
"We do bounce off the crowd, which is really good for us," Grayson said. "Hopefully we can entertain them and it can be a cracking atmosphere. We all have to remember the second half of the last season, with the wins that we had, there were some special nights. Ultimately, we want to start winning matches because we have lost the first two. "
Meanwhile, East Bengal FC will head into the fixture on the back of a thrilling last-minute victory over Hyderabad FC. The game was level heading into stoppage time, but Cleiton Silva’s remarkable free-kick sealed the Kolkata giants' first victory of the season.
The Torchbearers appear to have undergone a huge change and have the potential to compete for a spot in the top four, thanks to the high-caliber players at their disposal.
Notably, Carles Cuadrat, the current East Bengal manager, is making his return to Bengaluru, where he previously guided the Blues to an ISL title in 2019. East Bengal earned four points from their first two matches, but he expressed the challenges that can be posed by Bengaluru FC.
"We have to be ready for a very competitive match because they need points, very clearly, after two games, they are going to give everything. They also have the Kanteerava supporting them, that I know very well," Cuadrat said.
Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal FC: Team News
Bengaluru FC have mounting suspensions as Suresh Singh Wangjam and Roshan Singh are ruled out of the game after receiving red cards against Mohun Bagan SG. However, they will have the advantage of Sunil Chhetri and Rohit Danu returning to the squad after representing India in the Asian Games 2023.
East Bengal FC, on the other hand, have no new injury concerns. Lalchungnunga will also be available after his participation in the Asian Games 2023.
Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal FC: Predicted lineup
Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Parag Shrivas, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Slavko Damjanovic, Jessel Carneiro, Keziah Veendorp, Rohit Kumar, Javi Hernandez, Namgyal Bhutia, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Sunil Chhetri.
East Bengal FC: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Harmanjot Khabra, Lalchungnunga, Jose Pardo, Mandar Rao Dessai, Saul Crespo, Souvik Chakrabarti, Borja Herrera, Nandhakumar Sekar, Cleiton Silva, Naorem Mahesh Singh.
Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal FC: Prediction
Bengaluru FC are in dire need of points, and the return of Sunil Chhetri is sure to provide them with a significant boost. Furthermore, their performance at the Kanteerava Stadium in the previous season was exceptional, making it a formidable task for opponents to secure a victory on their home turf.
On the other hand, East Bengal holds a slight advantage in terms of both form and the quality of players in their ranks.
While the Kolkata outfit haven’t been at their fluid best, Cuadrat's men have been adept at grinding out results, and they may need to rely on this resilience once again.
Ultimately, the outcome of the match will largely depend on the defensive performances of both teams and the clinical abilities of their forwards.
Prediction: Bengaluru FC 1-1 East Bengal FC
