"FC Goa are the best team in possession" - Bengaluru FC boss ahead of ISL clash

Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli looking on from the sidelines. (Image Courtesy: Instagram/FCGoa)
Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli looking on from the sidelines. (Image Courtesy: Instagram/FCGoa)

Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli heaped praise on FC Goa ahead of their Saturday night clash in the Indian Super League (ISL). Pezzaiuoli called them the best team in the league when they are in possession of the ball.

The Goan side sits 10th on the points table after they edged past SC East Bengal in a seven-goal thriller in their previous fixture. Although the Gaurs have struggled to snap up points this season, Pezzaiuoli lauded their style of play. He also underlined the need to capitalize on the weaknesses FC Goa have shown so far.

Addressing the media through a virtually held press conference on Friday, Pezzaiuoli said:

“In this League, FC Goa are the best team in possession of the ball. They haven’t started very well in this season, but their style of play is very good. They showed a few weaknesses in their opening games, and we’ll have to make the most of that against them.”

Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC have themselves struggled with a lack of form going into this encounter. The Sunil Chhetri-led side have been winless in four games and will be hoping to claw themselves back from the bottom half of the table.

However, the 53-year-old German manager maintained that despite the results, the energy in the team has been positive:

“The energy in the team is positive, but it doesn’t help that we are not getting the results we want. The most important thing is the three points, and we are investing a lot to get there.”

Bengaluru FC's Udanta Singh ruled out of FC Goa clash with an injury

Udanta Singh, who has been a pivotal part of the Bengaluru FC setup, is set to miss Saturday night's encounter against FC Goa. Marco Pezzaiuoli confirmed the winger's absence on the eve of the game:

“It’s very important to manage your players well when you are playing games every two or three days. We have had a lot of injuries to key players, but some of them are now back in contention for the game. While Udanta will not be a part of the team on Saturday, the others have recovered and I have them available for the next match."

While Pezzaiuoli didn't specify a return date, this is the third game the 25-year-old winger will miss on the trot. But the Blues have been handed a major boost as Yrondu Musavu-King, Iman Basafa and Prince Ibara have all recovered from their injuries and will be available for the tie.

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