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With the Indian football team exiting the AFC Asian Cup 2019 at the group stage after consecutive losses to UAE and Bahrain, the Indian Super League's fifth season will resume 25th January onwards.
Before the break, Bengaluru FC went unbeaten in 11 matches winning 8 of those, NorthEast United got the right results to set them up for their maiden entry into the playoffs stage and FC Pune City, Kerala Blasters FC, Delhi Dynamos FC and Chennaiyin FC ruled themselves out of the running for the qualification to the knockout stages.
A lot happened over the international break with the defending champions parting ways with their league winning manager David James and ATK going all out in the transfer market to bring talents like Edu Garcia and Pritam Kotal to the club to push for top four.
With six teams eyeing the top four positions, let's take a look at the five most exciting matches in the upcoming 40 days of football scheduled for us.
#1 Mumbai City FC VS Bengaluru FC
The team in second in the table, Mumbai City FC hosts the table toppers Bengaluru FC at the Mumbai Football Arena on the first Sunday after the local football carnival resumes.
Sunil Chhetri might have played his final major tournament with the national team and would be looking to overcome the heartbreak as his side have their work cut out in the first match after the international break. On the other hand, Amrinder Singh will finally be looking to get back on the football pitch after a month as he leads his side out against the Blues.
A win for Bengaluru might put them out of other teams' reach while a win for Mumbai would help their top four ambitions as they face a tough round of upcoming fixtures.
Date: 27th January
#2 Mumbai City FC VS FC Goa
Mumbai City FC are at home for the first two matches after the break but both of them are against fellow top three oppositions.
The top of the table battle between the two coastal sides will clash with the final of the Asian Cup and might not attract as many viewers as it should otherwise.
With back to back tough fixtures after the break, things could go very wrong for Mumbai City, who could potentially find themselves outside the top four after Matchday 14. Jorge Costa needs to ensure that his key players are back and fit to start with Jamshedpur FC and ATK knocking on the top four sides' doors.
Date: 1st February
#3 ATK VS Jamshedpur FC
Another Sunday evening full of exciting football as Steve Coppell's side faces his old club at the Salt Lake Stadium.
The Kolkata-based club will have their work cut out against the Men of Steel as Cesar Ferrando's side has already scored more goals than Jamshedpur could muster under Coppell in the whole of last season.
With most of Jamshedpur's key players either retired from international duty or overlooked for the Asian Cup, the away side will have an undue advantage over ATK who had the likes of Pranoy Halder, Pritam Kotal and Balwant Singh playing in the ongoing Asian Cup as both teams set to break through to the top four in these last round of matches.
Date: 3rd February
#4 Mumbai City FC VS NorthEast United FC
The Islanders will be hosting the Highlanders in their last home match of the season and would be hoping to seal their qualification to the knockout stages ahead of a difficult away trip to Kolkata and a Maharashtra derby as well.
In contrast, NorthEast United's matches after the international break look easy as they face every side from the bottom 4 apart from two tough away trips to Bengaluru and Mumbai.
This match will also be important for the battle of the golden boot as two of the highest goalscorers face each other with Modou Sougou leading the home side's attack while Bartholomew Ogbeche spearheading the away side's attack.
Date: 13th February
#5 FC Goa VS Bengaluru FC
FC Goa will come up against the mighty Blues on Matchday 17 which gives the looks of a dress rehearsal for the final of this season of the Indian Super League.
The best attack against the best defence at the end of the season will be a treat to watch for fans of both the clubs. While Bengaluru is at the top of the table due to the consistent performances put in by players all over the pitch, Goa needs to tighten up at the back if they want to lift the coveted trophy at the end of the season.
Sergio Lobera will be looking to make the optimum use of the attacking trio of Ferran Corominas, Edu Bedia and Hugo Boumous to breach the tight defence of Bengaluru FC and get past the lanky Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Date: 21st February
