East Bengal got their first point in this ISL season after a goalless draw against Mohammedan SC. They are looking for their first win against North-East United. They also have prepared a plan to stop their key player, Alaaeddine Ajaraie.
East Bengal managed their first point in the ISL 2024-25 by drawing 0-0 with Mohammedan in nine matches. The mentality of the red-yellow footballers caught everyone’s attention. Many days have passed since that match. East Bengal is the last of the three main teams after the international break. Northeast United is way ahead in this tournament, who are third in the points table.
Final training session before we face East Bengal! ✅📸#StrongerAsOne #8States1United #EBFCNEU pic.twitter.com/mNCxLFixxv
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 28, 2024
Situation is difficult for East-Bengal
Not only that, the opponent teams have scored the most goals (21) against them in this year’s ISL. Northeast’s Alaaeddine Ajaraie, is now the league’s top scorer. Nestor is also not far behind. Jithin MS is there to supply the ball from the wings. The challenge for East Bengal is to stop these three players at home on Friday. However, the day before the match, red-yellow coach Oscar Bruzon made it clear that their plan is ready. Not one point, they will play for three points.
EBFC coach is looking for gaps in North-East United’s defense
Before the match, Bruzon said, “Undoubtedly, we are going to play against a tough team. They have scored the most goals in the tournament. There is variety in their team. But it is not difficult to find gaps in their defense. They always focus on scoring more goals than the opponent. So we should not think that they will only defend against us. We have planned it that way. So tomorrow is going to be an ‘open’ match. Both teams will try desperately to score goals.”
Coach Oscar and Vishnu addressed the media earlier today, ahead of our home clash 🆚 the Highlanders! 🎙️
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) November 28, 2024
🎥 Full press conference 👉 https://t.co/ml7O8GPHrW#JoyEastBengal #ISL #EBFCNEU pic.twitter.com/V3BYK9nEFC
East Bengal must stop Alaaeddine Ajaraie
Explaining the plan to stop Alaaeddine, Bruzon replied, “We will stop him with a team effort. We will not let him keep the ball at his feet for too long. We have to control the area where he shows dominance. But I do not like to think too much about one person. If he does not get much ball, he will not be able to score goals. We have to defend those areas too. That is what we have to try. Apart from him, there are two others who can score goals.”
1 Day to go before we take the field in Kolkata! #StrongerAsOne #8States1United #EBFCNEU pic.twitter.com/zGQpdsaR9W
— NorthEast United FC (@NEUtdFC) November 28, 2024
The first eleven is ready for East Bengal
East Bengal is in the midst of a card problem due to the absence of Mahesh and Nandakumar. As a result, PV Vishnu is going to play on the left wing on Friday. However, there may be surprises in defense. Jackson Singh can play on the right side. He may be given the responsibility of stopping Alaaeddine. Hector practiced on Thursday after recovering from his injury. Bruzon said that Yuste is ready for the Northeast match. However, it is not certain whether he will be in the starting eleven or not. Hijazi Maher is almost certain to be in defense.
There are many areas that need to be improved
East Bengal has been lagging behind in scoring goals since the beginning of the ISL, this season. Bruzon accepted that they need to increase their scoring ability. He also explained where the problem is. He said, “We cannot ignore the fact that we have scored only four goals. Six-seven teams have conceded more goals than us. We need to be more precise. We are creating many chances. However, we are having problems when it comes to scoring goals. Set pieces, crosses, increasing the number of players in the attack – there are many areas that need to be improved.”