SC East Bengal vs. FC Goa: Stats Preview

Gaurs look to take back maximum points for the third time in a row

Goa. FC Goa will look to make it three wins on the trot when they take on SC East Bengal on Wednesday night at the Tilak Maidan Stadium at 7:30 PM. Juan Ferrando saw his men win their last two (first against Jamshedpur and then Hyderabad) – both via Igor Angulo goals in injury time to cement their spot as this season’s ‘comeback kings’.

Up against the Gaurs, this time around will be Robbie Fowler’s SC East Bengal who come into the game on the back of their maiden win in the ISL. The Red and Gold got the better of Odisha FC in their last game and will look to carry their momentum into the encounter.

And thus, Wednesday promises to be a thrilling encounter between two sides filled with confidence. Who will come out on top in this one? How do the match-ups look? We have all the numbers to get you up to date.

Here are 10 things to know about the game:

8: The Gaurs have carved out a niche for themselves this season for being the comeback kings. The season has already witnessed Juan Ferrando’s men claw back 8 points from losing positions with their last 2 wins coming via injury-time winners. Goa were only able to claim 6 points from losing positions last season.

9: FC Goa leads the league in terms of goals from open play. The Gaurs have struck 9 times from open play. SC East Bengal meanwhile have scored 6 from open play so far.

9: Igor Angulo has been the talk of the league after having scored 9 goals in as many games in his first season in the Indian Super League. He follows on the lines of FC Goa legend Ferran Corominas who also had scored 9 in his first 9 games as well.

10.8 – FC Goa leads the league in terms of ‘Challenge Intensity Index’ (number of challenges and interceptions made by defending team per minute opponent’s ball possession). The Gaurs average 10.8 such actions per minute the opposition has the ball. SC East Bengal, on the other hand, average 8.3 such actions per minute (8th in the league).

11: No other team has conceded more goals in the second half than SC East Bengal this season. Robbie Fowler’s men have conceded 11 goals in the second period of the game. FC Goa, meanwhile, have scored 67% of their goals after the halftime break.

15: Both teams enjoy passing the ball. In the case of FC Goa, the Gaurs record 15 accurate passes per minute of ball possession (second-best in the league). East Bengal, meanwhile, is 4th on the list with 14.3 accurate passes per minute of possession.

15: No team puts as many crosses as FC Goa in the league. The Gaurs on average put 15 crosses in a game. SC East Bengal on an average puts 9 crosses into the opposition box.

28: No player has suffered more fouls than SC East Bengal forward Jacques Maghoma. The Congolese international has suffered a total of 28 fouls so far. The second name on the list? FC Goa’s mercurial winger Jorge Ortiz. The Spaniard has racked up a total of 24 free-kicks for his side.

33: A whopping 33% of FC Goa’s goals have come after the 75th minute of games – 4 of the 12. Only ATK Mohun Bagan has a higher percentage of goals scored after the 75th minute – 4 of their 8 goals being scored after the 75-minute mark.

44: Saviour Gama leads the Gaurs in terms of tackles made so far with 44 to his name. Matti Steinmann is the first East Bengal name to appear on the list for tackles with 30 to his name.