With 75 matches played in the Indian Super League (ISL), the four playoff qualifiers are yet to be identified. Which of the top six teams are favoured to make it, and what do they need to do to get there?
Bengaluru FC (31 from 15)
Remaining: Delhi (a) – Feb 17, Goa (h) – Feb 21, Jamshedpur (a) – Feb 27
Carles Cuadrat’s Bengaluru finish with three tricky encounters — Delhi Dynamos have been irresistible since registering their first win of the season against Chennaiyin just ahead of the international break while Goa and Jamshedpur are fighting for playoff spots. They do, though, have the breathing space of four points separating them from the teams tied for second place. This would mean even one win should be enough to book their place in the top four. Two wins and they are almost sure to finish top, unless their only defeat then comes at the hands of Goa in what should be one of the clashes of the group stages in Bengaluru on February 21.
NorthEast United (27 from 16)
Remaining: Pune City (h) – Feb 20, Kerala (a) – Mar 1
NorthEast are in with a shout of making the playoffs for the first time in their history, and they have their superb away form to thank for that. No team has picked up as many as their five wins on the road, and even one point against Pune at home in their next match could see them through by the time they travel to Kochi for their last game, against a team that has already lost three at home. With Bartholomew Ogbeche and Federico Gallego leading the attacking line, six points from the last two games is a distinct possibility.
Mumbai City (27 from 16)
Remaining: ATK (a) – Feb 22, Pune City (a) – Mar 2
A 2-0 defeat to NorthEast United at home has put Mumbai’s playoff hopes in a little bit of peril. Since bringing Bengaluru’s unbeaten streak to a halt with a 1-0 win in January, they have lost three games on the trot, and importantly two of them have come against teams bidding to displace them from the top four. They haven’t scored in any of these matches, and that could be fatal unless they shore up their defence in their two remaining games, both away against ATK and Pune, both desperate to end the season with as many wins as possible.
FC Goa (25 from 14)
Remaining: ATK (h) – Feb 14, Kerala (h) – Feb 18, Bengaluru (a) – Feb 21, Chennaiyin (h) – Feb 28
With three home games out of their four remaining fixtures, Goa not only have the chance to book their place in the playoffs in style, but could also end up topping the regular season if they are able to get past Bengaluru in their only remaining away fixture on February 21. Goa have not been at their fluent best going unbeaten in their last four games — since the restart this year, they have drawn a blank in two matches. They will need Coro and Edu Bedia to remind the league why Goa have been the top-scoring team this season.
Jamshedpur (23 from 15)
Remaining: Pune City (h) – Feb 16, Chennaiyin (a) – Feb 23, Bengaluru (h) – Feb 27
Jamshedpur FC need to win their three games to stay in contention, with at least three teams either already beyond the 30-point mark, or just one win away from touching it. What complicates matters is that unlike ATK, who play the last game of the season and hence will know exactly how the points table stands, Jamshedpur must win their three games and then wait for their fate. Playing Pune and Chennaiyin first should help — Pune have a narrow mathematical chance of being in the playoffs but have two difficult away games next — while Chennaiyin have now switched focus to their impending AFC Cup assignments. By the time Jamshedpur face Bengaluru, the latter might already have confirmed their place in the top four, and could rest some of their regulars.
ATK (21 points from 15 games)
Remaining matches: FC Goa (a) – Feb 14, Mumbai City (h) – Feb 22, Delhi Dynamos (h) – Mar 3
For the two-time champions to have any hopes of qualifying, they more or less need to win each of their remaining three games to make the top four at the end of the regular season. Two home matches to finish with should add an extra motivation, as should the prospect of knocking out FC Goa and Mumbai City, both of whom are in the top four at the moment, in their next two games. Beating Goa away will not be easy, though the addition of Edu Garcia to the midfield has made them a bigger threat going forward.