Friday , March 29 2024

ISL-5 restarts with FC Pune City set to host Jamshedpur FC!

As the second international break draws to a close, the action resumes in the Indian Super League. Jamshedpur FC have not yet registered a win over FC Pune City in the league having lost both at home and away to the Stallions last season and will be looking to open the account against a FC Pune City side that has mightily underperformed so far.

This season under new management, Jamshedpur FC currently are in fourth spot in the league table and remain the only unbeaten team with Bengaluru FC. Whereas, FC Pune City are still chasing that elusive first victory this season, currently sitting at the bottom of the league.

When asked about his thoughts on the Pune challenge, Jamshedpur FC head coach Cesar Ferrando said, “I think Pune is a good team and for me this is a very dangerous team because they want to get their first victory. The position that they are in make them very dangerous .They have a good squad and with good players. It’s a dangerous match and a big challenge for us.”

With another away match on the horizon, Jamshedpur FC boast an impressive away record with a win against Mumbai City FC to kick-start their league campaign off and by having the game resurrected in the dying stages against Bengaluru FC.

Here’s what the Jamshedpur FC gaffer had to say about the team’s performances on the road, “We always think that we can win every match. I also think that we deserved to win against ATK and against Delhi. We can look back on those games and think that we dropped points, but you always have to look ahead. At this moment our focus is on the match against Pune City FC. We are ready to play this match. And I prefer to draw than to lose.”

Much of Jamshedpur FC’s play relies on the precision passing of their midfield lynchpin, Mario Arques. The Spaniard has registered 465 successful passes in the league so far with a pass accuracy of 84.3% , only being surpassed by Raphael Augusto of Chennaiyin FC and Ahmed Jahouh of FC Goa. If the Spaniard has a good game, it directly correlates to Jamshedpur FC having a good game.

The Men of Steel generally tend to dominate possession with short passes and balls in behind feeding their pacy wingers. Another good quality that Jamshedpur FC has displayed this season is the knack of scoring late goals which has caught their opposition by surprise.

Meanwhile, the FC Pune City squad has been bolstered by the return of the Canadian striker Iain Hume. The mercurial forward is currently the all-time top scorer in the Indian Super League with 28 goals from 59 matches. With the departure of Uruguayan striker Emiliano Alfaro to ATK on a loan deal, FC Pune City will rely heavily on the Canadian to deliver the goods.

The Men of Steel will also have to stay wary of the good form of FC Pune City’s mercurial Brazilian forward Marcelinho. With him in the side, the Stallions goals per game ratio rises from 0.8 to 1.5 goals. The Jamshedpur FC defence must mark him tightly and minimize the space provided to him as much as possible.

As far as the absentees go for Jamshedpur FC, Tim Cahill will not feature as he returned to Australia to play his farewell game for his national side which took place today. The rest of the squad is fit and ready to play.

The FC Pune City defence is yet to register a clean sheet this season having played seven matches while the achilles heel for Jamshedpur FC has been the lapses of concentration in defence during important phases in games where they have conceded cheap goals.

With a side looking to improve on their unbeaten run whereas the other is looking to make a statement, the affair in Pune tomorrow promises to be full of goals and non-stop action.

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