Goa: With a win in their last match Jamshedpur FC would be a confident side before facing SC East Bengal on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Red and Golds are coming off a defeat in their last match.
Jamshedpur had a good start to their season under Owen Coyle with regular goals from Nerijus Valskis keeping them in the hunt for a top-four race. But the problem has been the team at times lose focus. “The lads have worked so hard. Take each game at a time and try to be positive and win the game — that’s what we have to do,” Coyle said.
The last time when these two teams met the match ended 0-0 which should have been a victory for Jamshedpur but missed out on a 10-men East Bengal.
“The bottom line is that East Bengal are a very dangerous team,” said Coyle. “They have signed a lot of players. By their own standards, they did not perform as well against Bengaluru. So they will be looking to try and win the game and keep themselves in contention. We have to be very respectful of the qualities that they have but also try to impose our qualities. That will be the key to the game.”
With Robbie Fowler being suspended, East Bengal would have to be managed by Assistant coach Tony Grant. With no hopes left for a top-four finish, the Red and Gold Brigade are hoping for a sustainable finish to the season. With the likes of Bright Enobakhare, Anthony Pilkington and Jacques Maghoma in the ranks they can hope for a victory over Jamshedpur on Sunday.
In the pre-match press conference, Grant said, “I don’t think it’s been tough on the pitch. When you analyse everything, the team was only put in the ISL at the last minute. We had a two-week pre-season. I think the team has done tremendously.”
“We’re one point behind Kerala who’ve had many years to prepare for this year. All the staff and all the players deserve credit for the fight that they have shown and we will carry on showing that fight,” Grant added.
