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North East United FC will host Atletico de Kolkata in a mouth-watering clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. Both franchises have registered a win in their respective first round matches and will be desperate to secure points from this game too.
While North East plays a fast paced counter-attacking game, Atletico de Kolkata under their Spanish coach Antonio Lopez Habas prefers to play passing football and keeping possession. North East fans have been one of the best groups of supporters in the ISL so far and we can confidently say that Guwahati will yet again witness a full house on Thursday evening.
Venue & Kick-off
North East United FC, which is based out of Guwahati, Assam will use the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium as their home ground in the Indian Super League. The stadium is generally used for football matches and athletics events. It is a one tier stadium with a capacity of 35,000 with a roof only over the main stand. There are only a limited number of seats in the main stand and the rest is just a standing area.
Kick-off: October 16 – 7:00 PM (IST)
Possible starting line-ups
North East United FC (4-4-1-1): Alexandros Tzorvas; Robin Gurung, Aiborlal Khongjee, Miguel Garcia Joan Capdevila; Zodinliana Ralte, Durga Boro, Guilherme Batata, David Ngaihte; Sergio Pardo; James Keene
North East United FC is likely to start with a 4-4-1-1 formation which they opted for in their previous game. The team showcased an attacking brand of football in their last game against Kerala Blasters and this match will be no exception. Sergio Pardo was the best player of the team in the last match, who also netted the winner. Beside the foreign recruits, we saw some impressive performances from the Indian players, most notably Durga Boro.
Atletico De Kolkata FC (4-2-3-1): Subhashish Roy Chowdhury; Denzil Franco, Jose Miguel, Arnab Mondal, Biswajit Saha; Borja Fernandes, Ofentse Nato, Baljit Sahni, Jofre Mateu, Luis Garcia; Fikru Teferra
Antonio Lopez Habas will mostly field the same set of players which featured in their ISL opener. Under the Spaniard’s influence, the team produced an attractive passing style of football against Mumbai City FC. Their Ethiopian striker Fikru Teferra scored the first ever goal in the Indian Super League and the team will depend on him heavily.
The attention will also be on their marquee player Luis Garcia who played in an unfamiliar position behind the striker. Garcia was effective in patches and created some good moves from the attacking midfield position. Among the Indian players, goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury was exceptional in the first game, making many crucial saves.
Key facts and stats
- 7 out of 12 foreigners in the match will be Spanish. Three are from North East United while four players are from Atletico de Kolkata.
- All five domestic players of North East United FC belong to the north east region.
- Both marquee players, Joan Capdevila and Luis Garcia have been teammates in the past for their national team Spain.
Key Battles
Koke vs Ofentse Nato
Sergio Pardo, or Koke as he is commonly known, is the most dangerous attacker in the North East unit. He had scored the solitary goal in the previous match against Kerala Blasters. Thus, Lopez Habas will pay special attention towards the Spanish midfielder. Atletico’s defensive midfielder, Ofentse Nato will have to check Koke’s runs and stop him in the midfield itself.
Fikru Teferra vs Miguel Garcia
Atletico’s Ethiopian striker, Fikru Teferra scored the first ever goal in Indian Super League on Matchday 1. He is a prolific goal scorer and brilliant poacher in front the goal. North East United’s Captain Miguel Garcia will be in charge of marking the Ethiopian forward and stop him from becoming deadly in front of the goal.
Prediction
North East United FC 1-1 Atletico De Kolkata
