Punjab FC vs Odisha FC Preview: Predicted Lineups, Team News | ISL 2026-27
The Shers will host the Juggernauts on 14th October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
Punjab FC will start their 2026-27 Indian Super League (ISL) season against Odisha FC at their home ground, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The match will be on 14th October, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST.
The Shers had a better pre-season than most as they played in the 2026-27 IFA Shield. Pavlos Dermitzakis and his team reached the Semi-finals of the coveted trophy before losing 4-3 on penalties against Mohun Bagan SG after playing out a goalless draw in regular time.
The pre-season allowed the Greek manager to field his new signings, out of which it was Raphael Messi Bouli who stood out the most, scoring 3 goals in the IFA Shield. The team’s foreign contingent includes, Alfred Planas, Raphael Messi Bouli, Patrick Bahanack, Mickaël Malsa & Diego Raposo.
On the other hand, Odisha FC did not get any playing time in a major pre-season tournament. Though the Kalinga Warriors did not have a pre-season, they made a lot of additions to their squad. Most notable players included 2025-26 Golden Glove winner Hrithik Tiwari from FC Goa, Stephen Eze, Everton Nascimento & Manu Molina.
The foreign contingent for the Juggernaut consists of, Stephen Eze, Manu Molina, Giorgi Aburjania, Mahmoud Eid and Everton Nascimento.
The Stakes
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Punjab FC
The Shers enter their second ISL campaign with newfound confidence from the pre-season. Despite losing in the Semi-finals of the tournament, they topped their group which included East Bengal FC & Calcutta Customs FC.
Punjab FC beat the defending ISL Champions 1-0 in the group stages and held the eventual IFA Shield winners to a 0-0 draw in the Semi-Finals. The IFA Shield helped the team get some much needed play time and allowed the team to test themselves against the two best clubs in India Football.
If the IFA Shield is representative of their intent in the 2026-27 ISL season, it seems like the Shers are aiming nothing below the crown. To boost their chances of winning the ISL & to gain as much momentum as possible, Punjab FC must start their season with a win against Odisha FC in the first match week.
Odisha FC
The Kalinga Warriors had a disappointing 2025-26 ISL season, as they managed to finish in 11th place, with 2 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses. They scored only 14 goals during the whole tournament, while conceding 22. Odisha FC finished the 2025-26 ISL season with only 11 points and only 3 places above relegation.
Which is why, the team decided to make a lot of additions to the team, but retained some of their most valuable players. During the summer transfer window, the team added a total of 12 players to their squad and also made a complete overhaul to their foreign contingent. The team will need playing time together since they did not play in any official pre-season matches.
The Juggernauts want to make sure they do not have a season even remotely similar to the one they had in the 2025-26 season, hence, they extended the contracts of Suhair VP, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul Henry, Puitea and Tejas Krishna. Getting a win in their first match could help the team gain some much needed confidence for the rest of the season, considering their last victory was all the way back in May against SC Delhi.
Team News
With this being the first game of the ISL 2026/27 season, both Punjab FC and Odisha FC are expected to have fully fit squads in contention for their season opener.
Head-to-head record (In the ISL)
- Total Matches – 05
- Punjab FC wins – 02
- Odisha FC wins – 02
- Draws – 01
Predicted Lineups
Punjab FC (4-3-3)
Arshdeep (GK), Bijoy Varghese, Patrick Bahanack, Uvais, Lhungdim, Mickaël Malsa, Mohammad Inam, Kipgen, Diego Raposo, Raphael Messi Bouli, Alfred Planas
Odisha FC (4-4-2)
Hrithik Tiwari (GK), Stephen Eze, Moirangthem Thoiba, Tejas Krishna, Saurabh Bhanwala, Edwin Vanspaul, Puitea, Giorgi Aburjania, Rahim Ali, Everton, Suhair VP.
Players to watch out
Rapahel Messi Bouli
A former Cameroonian international who represented the Indomitable Lions at senior level, Messi Bouli possesses extensive pedigree across Asian and Indian football. He first made a notable mark in Indian football during the 2019–20 Indian Super League campaign with Kerala Blasters, scoring eight goals.
Standing at 1.86 metres (6 ft 1 in), Messi Bouli brings a dynamic blend of physical strength, aerial authority, and sharp penalty-box instincts to Punjab FC’s frontline. The Cameroonian has been an integral part of the Punjab FC attack line in the pre-season.
His stature, positioning and his knack for goal scoring will make it difficult for an inexperienced and probably out of form Odisha FC to stop him for the 90 minutes.
VP Suhair
VP Suhair was the best performing player for the Juggernauts in their disappointing 2025-26 ISL season. He is a player with vast experience in the ISL with teams such as Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Jamshedpur FC and even NorthEast United.
He played more than 650 minutes in the previous ISL season and was often the only attacking threat that the Juggernauts had to offer. His efforts in the 2025-26 season made him the Joint Indian top goal scorer in the ISL alongside the likes of Ryan Williams and Edmund Lalrindika.
His expertise in positioning and finishing will be of great help to a low scoring Odisha FC. With the reinforcements that the club has brought along for the season, the 34 year old can further prove why he still is at the highest level of Indian Football.
Telecast Details
The Punjab FC vs Odisha FC clash in the 2026-27 ISL will take place on Thursday, 14 October (2026) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The match will kick off at 7:30 PM IST.
The match will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and will be available to stream digitally for free on YouTube.
When will the 2026-27 ISL match between Punjab FC & Odisha FC happen?
Punjab FC will play against Odisha FC at their home ground, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The match will be on 14th October, and is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST.
Who are the new signings of Punjab FC?
Alfred Planas Moya, Mohammad Inam, Gurkirat Singh, Nishchal Chandan, Raphaël Messi Bouli, Patrick Bahanack, Diego Raposo, Mickaël Malsa are the new signings of Punjab FC before the start of the 2026-27 ISL season.
Who are the new signings of Odisha FC?
Nihal Sudeesh, Imran Khan, Sachin Suresh, Aashir Salim, Arjun MM, Nandhakumar Sekar, Giorgi Aburjania, Stephen Eze, Hrithik Tiwari, Mahmoud Eid, Everton Nascimento, Manu Molina are the new signings of Odisha FC before the start of the 2026-27 ISL season.
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