MUMBAI, JANUARY 7, 2022 (GPN): A significant move up the table beckons both FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC as the two teams clash on Saturday night in Bambolim, Goa. Derrick Pereira has seen his side go winless in the last four and will aim for all three points as they look to move back into contention for the playoffs.

That revival, though, won’t be an easy one as they take on Chennaiyin. The Marina Machans are a compact side who are known to make things hard for their opponent. Božidar Bandović’s men looked formidable at the start of the campaign before losing their way a bit in recent days.

They, though, come into this one on the back of a 1-0 win over high-flying Jamshedpur FC. Thus, this is sure to be yet another uphill battle for the Gaurs.

And to give you all a low down as to what you can look forward to on Saturday night, here are 10 things you need to know ahead of their clash:

1.9: Jorge Ortiz continues to show his worth on the pitch despite injuries and suspensions keeping him off it for prolonged periods. The Spaniard’s mark of 1.9 key passes per 90 minutes has only been surpassed by Chennaiyin’s Vladimir Koman  and ATK Mohun Bagan’s Hugo Boumous (both at 2.5).

2:  The 2-2 draw in their last was only the second time in 20 clashes that the two sides drew a game. The only other draw between the 2 came in the first-leg of the semi-finals of the 2017/18 season when the teams drew 1-1 at Fatorda.

5 – Edu Bedia’s goal in the last match against Hyderabad meant that the Spaniard became the first FC Goa player in history to score in 5 consecutive seasons. He blanked in the last ISL campaign but broke his duck with the club’s opening goal in the AFC Champions League.

4: Chennaiyin’s philosophy of hitting the opponents on the break can be seen in the fact that Anirudh Thapa leads the league in terms of passes into offside positions at 4. No Gaur has more than 2 such passes

6.4: Chennaiyin FC earns the most number of corners in the league with an average of 6.4 per game. Goa earn 4.1 per match, a little below the league average of 4.6.

7: No one has conceded more goals from outside the box this season than FC Goa. The Gaurs have let in 7 goals from long distance. Chennaiyin, on the other hand, conceded only 1 from outside the box. ATK Mohun Bagan are the only team not to concede from a long-ranger.

9: Chennaiyin FC is without a clean sheet in their last 9 games against FC Goa. The last time they kept a clean sheet against the Gaurs was during the 2nd leg of the semi-finals in March 2018, when they ran out 3-0 winners at home. The Gaurs have also failed to keep a clean sheet against the Marina Machans in their last 5 outings.

13: Goal and FC Goa have been synonymous in the Indian Super League. The last game saw the Gaurs reach the 250 goals mark – the first ISL team to do so. However, goals have been hard to come by for the Durand champions. Their tally of 13 goals is the third lowest so far this season.

20: Chennaiyin’s 9 games have involved only 20 goals – 9 for and 11 against – the lowest in the league. FC Goa has seen 31 goals in their 9 games. Odisha leads the league with 40 goals in their 9.

83: It is a known fact that it’s difficult to stop Alberto Noguera in full flight. How tough? The Spaniard has enjoyed a phenomenal 83% success rate whilst dribbling having attempted a total of 47 dribbles. The second highest amongst players to have attempted more than 20 dribbles is Jamshedpur’s Greg Stewart. The Scot, though, enjoys success on 67% of his dribbles. Noguera is also the league’s most fouled player.