Odisha conceded late in both their games, and unbeaten NorthEast United come to Bhubaneswar with six points

NorthEast United have won both of their ISL games this season. Odisha FC have won neither, and in both they gave points away at the end. The two meet at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, with kick-off at 7:30pm IST, in Odisha’s first home game of the season.

Juan Pedro Benali’s side are second with six points, level with East Bengal, who went top on goal difference by beating Inter Kashi 5-1 on Friday. Odisha have one point.

Two games, two late goals

Odisha’s season started in Delhi on 14 October. Messi Bouli scored for Punjab FC in the first minute, Thoiba Moirangthem headed in Lalthathanga Khawlhring’s corner to level it, and Bouli won it in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Three days later in Pune, Odisha led Inter Kashi through a Pratik Chaudhari own goal on 56 minutes, until Thoi Singh equalised from a set piece late in the second half.

That is three points lost in the closing stages, and two goals scored, one of them by the opposition. TG Purushothaman did not sound like a coach trying to fix it with a speech. “We have to go without pressure; pressure won’t give you anything, it will give you all the negative things,” he said on Friday. He also called NorthEast “a well-gelled team” that has played together for two or three years.

Stephen Eze, the centre-back who joined from Jamshedpur in September, knows what a home crowd expects after a start like this. “The fans will be here; there are too many expectations. I am just focused on the game,” he said.

NorthEast are one man down at the back

NorthEast beat Mohun Bagan 1-0 in Guwahati with Jithin MS’s stoppage-time winner, then put four past Kerala Blasters, with Alaaeddine Ajaraie scoring twice. They will be without defender Asheer Akhtar, who has a broken rib. Benali said he could be back in training next week.

Benali has a reason not to take this one lightly. Odisha won the last meeting 4-1 in Guwahati in March, Rahul KP scoring twice and Subham Bhattacharya scoring on his debut. “Last season, everybody underestimated Odisha,” Benali said. “We don’t want to make the same mistake.”

The last ten minutes

That March win was one of only two Odisha managed in 13 league games last season, and they lost six. Purushothaman kept his job anyway, and this start has not looked much different. NorthEast have five goals in two games. Odisha have scored once themselves.

If Odisha are going to get a first win, I think it starts with the last ten minutes. They have not yet held a result through them, and NorthEast won their opener in stoppage time.

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