PANAJI
FC Goa will take on arch-rivals Bengaluru FC at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda in their opening fixture of the new Indian Super League season on November 22.
Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) on Friday announced the first 11 rounds of fixtures for the 2020-21 season. Marking the return of the first major live sporting action in the country, the 7th season of India's premier football league kicks off with the defending champions ATK Mohun Bagan squaring off against Kerala Blasters FC on November 20, at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim.
FC Goa, who made history last season with a record haul of 39 points and 51 goals, will look to defend the ISL League Winners Shield and become the first team ever to top the league table for the third time in ISL history.
A rematch of the 2018-19 ISL final, the season opener for the Men in Orange will be the first time they will meet the Blues as their opponents in their opening game of the season. The club’s first away game of the season, meanwhile, will see them travel to Bambolim to take on Odisha FC on December 12. This season will see FC Goa share the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda as their home ground with Bengaluru FC and ATK Mohun Bagan.
New entrants SC East Bengal will make their ISL debut playing in one of the oldest rivalries in Asian football - the Kolkata Derby. For the first time in ISL, SC East Bengal face ATK Mohun Bagan in the biggest spectacle of Indian football on November 27, at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco.
ISL embarks on a unique season with the entire league to be played behind closed doors under a bio-secure bubble in Goa across three venues - Nehru Stadium (Fatorda), GMC Stadium (Bambolim), and Tilak Maidan (Vasco). With SC East Bengal's inclusion, the expanded league will feature an unprecedented 115 games, up from 95 last season. All 11 clubs play each other in a double round-robin format. The top 4 clubs on the points table at the end of the regular season qualify for the playoffs.
The first 11 rounds feature six double-headers - all Sundays, with Jamshedpur FC and Odisha FC playing in the first 5 pm kick-off this season on November 29, at the Tilak Maidan Stadium. Other matches kick off at 7.30 pm.
The schedule for the remaining 55 league matches will be announced in December post clarity on calendar dates of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Competitions matches.
FC GOA FIXTURES: Sunday, Nov 22: vs Bengaluru FC (Home); Wednesday, Nov 25: vs Mumbai City FC (Home); Monday, Nov 30: vs NorthEast United FC (Home); Sunday, Dec 6: vs Kerala Blasters FC (Home); Saturday, Dec 12: vs Odisha FC (Away, GMC Stadium Bambolim); Wednesday, Dec 16: vs ATK Mohun Bagan (Away, Fatorda Stadium); Saturday, Dec 19: Chennaiyin FC (Home); Wednesday, Dec 23: vs Jamshedpur FC (Away, Tilak Maidan Stadium); Wednesday, Dec 30: vs Hyderabad FC (Away, Tilak Maidan Stadium); Wednesday, Jan 6: SC East Bengal (Away, Tilak Maidan Stadium).
*FC Goa home matches at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda; all matches at 7.30 pm.
