Goa to face confident Delhi in ISL contest (Preview)

FC Goa will look to inch closer to the play-off spot when they meet Delhi Dynamos FC in an Indian Super League (ISL) clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Monday.

After going without a win for 11 matches since the start of the season, Delhi picked up two wins in their last two games and Josep Gombau's men will now want to accumulate as many points as they can before the season draws to an end.

Goa find themselves in the thick of an intense battle to secure a top-four spot and are third in the standings with 24 points from 13 games.

Goa head coach Sergio Lobera has prioritized outscoring the opposition and will be focused on maintaining a high goal difference. For the second season running, Goa are top of the charts for the number of goals scored; they had 42 goals to their name at the end of the league stage last season and have 29 so far, with five games in hand.

"For me, the most important thing is that we have the highest goal difference in the league. I am not obsessed with clean sheets. I am more worried about the number of goals we score," said Lobera on the eve of the clash.

Delhi's season started badly but Gombau's philosophy has looked effective in parts.

"We are playing good football. We are creating a lot of chances and not scoring so much. That is a problem. We also have to improve our defence as we are conceding goals. Even when we are playing away from home, we are creating chances but not getting the results which is frustrating," said Gombau.

Delhi have only won three times in the 11 meetings between the two teams and there has only been one draw when these two have locked horns. With the title race heating up and Delhi having picked up back-to-back wins, the fixture promises to be interesting.

--IANS

kk/bg