ISL 2019 | Possession in midfield will be main battle in final, believes Carles Cuadrat

03/17/2019

Bengaluru FC manager Carles Cuadrat has stated that the side controlling the ball well in the midfield would have the edge in the final on Sunday. The Spaniard also went to claim that they are not the favourites to win in the final despite winning both the league fixtures against the Gaurs.

None can deny the fact that both Bengaluru and FC Goa have looked to outscore their opponent more often than not in any game and given the kind of players they have on paper, it makes the offensive style of play more suitable. BFC coach Cuadrat echoed the same in the pre-match press conference pointing out the players that could make the difference on Sunday and how midfield would play a crucial role in the match.

"I think both teams, Goa and us, have a lot of quality in the midfield. The battle is going to be about the possession of the ball in midfield and how dangerous are the strikers going to be against the defenders. Goa have Ferran Corominas. He is a wonderful player, but we also have Miku. Goa have Brandon Fernandes and Jackichand Singh, we have Sunil Chhetri and Udanta Singh. All are really very good attackers. So, let’s see how the defenders manage against them," said Cuadrat, reported ISL’s official website.

The most recent encounter between the two sides had seen FC Goa throwing away a huge advantage away from home after Bengaluru had gone down a man in the first half itself. The Blues came back in the second half to win the match 3-0 but Cuadrat didn’t forget Goa’s missed chances stating that the outcome could have very easily been different.

"If you see that game, we won 3-0 but they hit the post at the start of the game with a shot from Ahmed Jahouh. Maybe if that went inside, we would be talking about a very different result. Maybe they would have won that game and it’s a completely different situation," said Cuadrat.

Prior to the home fixture, Goa had won the away fixture at the Fatourda 2-1, a fixture that had seen them getting a red card as well, and it has led many to term them as the 'favourites' on Sunday. However, Cuadrat disproved all such tags claiming that both the sides would have an equal chance.

"I don’t think that we are favourites. I think both teams that arrived in the finals have a lot of things in common. Number of victories, number of games that we have lost. They have scored more goals, but we have missed Miku for half of the season. So, maybe with Miku, we would have scored similar number of goals. When Miku is playing, he’s also helping Sunil and Udanta to score more goals. I think that we are both favourites for the final. There is no clear favourite here," he added.

ISL 2019 | Possession in midfield will be main battle in final, believes Carles Cuadrat

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