As we enter the business end of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season, plenty of stories continue to emerge from India’s top domestic football competition. And rather unsurprisingly, FC Goa have a significant part to play when it comes to deciding where the coveted ISL trophy ends up at the end of this campaign.

With just one league game to go for the Gaurs before the playoffs, anticipation is at an all-time high, with FC Goa still needing to do a bit of work to guarantee their place in the playoffs. What exactly needs to be done? Let’s take a look.

Where do FC Goa currently sit on the table?

Most teams have played 19 games at the time of the writing of this piece, which includes FC Goa. After the aforementioned number of games, the Gaurs find themselves third in the ISL table, locked on 30 points. 

With ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC having already booked their respective places in the ISL playoffs, only two more teams can enter the last four via the final league game of the campaign.

Who is FC Goa competing with for the final two ISL playoff spots?

Apart from FC Goa, both NorthEast United FC and Hyderabad FC have a realistic chance of qualifying for the playoff positions.

While Hyderabad were held to a 2-2 draw in their last game against ATK Mohun Bagan, NorthEast picked up a crucial 2-1 victory over SC East Bengal to give themselves a very good chance of qualifying for the final four.

While Goa currently sit ahead of these two teams in the table, the Highlanders are level on points with the former, while Hyderabad too continue to stay in the running with 28 points to their name.

How can FC Goa qualify for the ISL playoffs?

Here comes the part you were all waiting for. Following an important 2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC last time out, FC Goa ensured that they now essentially need just one point from their final game of the league season to seal qualification for the ISL playoffs.

However, that final game just happens to be against Hyderabad FC, who, as mentioned earlier, are also in the running for a position in the top four.

This “virtual knockout” tie will make for interesting viewing since Hyderabad know they must win in order to qualify for the next stage of the competition, while either a win or a draw would be enough for the Gaurs.

What happens if FC Goa lose against Hyderabad FC?

A draw or a win against Hyderabad may be the ideal result for the Men in Orange, but even in the case of a defeat, there may still be a way for Goa to seal qualification through to the playoffs.

That would depend on the result of the game between NorthEast United FC and Kerala Blasters FC.

Goa would need NorthEast to lose against Kerala, which would mean that both sides would then finish level on points, in which case, goal difference would be used to decide which team enters the playoffs.

The rules in the ISL state that if two teams finish level on points, first their head-to-head record will be considered, which in the case of NorthEast United and FC Goa is inconclusive, since there were two draws when the two sides met earlier in the season.

The next way to settle the debate is to consider goal difference, which at the moment, is in favour of the Gaurs, who have a GD of +8 in comparison to a GD of +4 for the Highlanders.

So, if Goa were to lose in their game and NorthEast were to lose as well, whichever team ends up with the superior goal difference would then end up qualifying for the ISL playoffs along with Hyderabad FC.

All to play for in the final league game of the season

In conclusion, FC Goa know that their fate lies in their own hands, and it is indeed make-or-break time as the final league game of the season draws near.

A number of exciting scenarios exist, but only two teams can end up making it to the coveted playoff spots.

Make sure you join the action as well and let your voice be heard by heading to fcgoa.in/fanzone to discuss all the fallout from what promises to be a stunning end to the league stage of this year’s ISL.