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The game against Jamshedpur FC on Tuesday for the Gaurs should bring forth a sense of Deja Vu and a reason to be cautiously optimistic. The Gaurs got off to a rampaging starts last season – winning three of their first four games with all wins coming via a margin of two goals or more.
All the momentum, though, came crashing down in their fifth game of the season which coincidentally was against Jamshedpur FC. A 4-1 loss brought at the hands of César Ferrando brought the Gaurs crashing back to earth.
This season sees the Gaurs again start off with much oomph. Unbeaten in the first four games, Sergio Lobera’s men have been able to overcome shortcomings in terms of injuries and suspensions to win two and draw two of their opening games.
Currently in third place in the table, FC Goa remains one of only two teams to remain unbeaten in the competition. They will surely look to the support of the home crowd to egg them on to all three points in this contest.
A win for the Gaurs will see them again head to the top of the table and be a big boost to the aspirations to qualify for the AFC Champions League.
The opening couple of games for Jamshedpur saw them notch up wins against Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC before sharing the spoils with Bengaluru FC. Their three-game unbeaten start to the campaign was, however, brought to an end in their last game when the Reds bowed down to ATK 1-3.
Currently in fifth position on the table, there is much to write home about for the Steelmen heading into the game. The new foreign signings, especially the performances of Piti and Sergio Castel should give the Jamshedpur FC fans much to smile about whilst Tiri remains a potent force at the back.
On the other hand, veteran Subrata Paul looks re-energised whilst performances from youngsters like Farukh Choudhary and Aniket Jadhav have been refreshing.
“The results from the past matches mean nothing heading into the game. Similarly, it would be foolhardy to think about what happened last season,” stated Sergio Lobera ahead of the game. “They are a team that has a lot of quality in terms of the personnel as well as how they play. They have demonstrated that already this season.”
“There are no easy games in this league and if we go into this one, thinking it would be any less challenging than the team we already have faced would be a mistake.”
“Saying that, we need to think more on what we are doing and concentrate on execution of our plans. If we are able to do that, I feel we will be able to come out of the game with all three points.”
