East Bengal FC vs Jamshedpur FC lineups, team news, prediction and preview

East Bengal will look to continue their winning form.

East Bengal are determined to move closer to the Indian Super League (ISL) top-six place when they host Jamshedpur FC for their final home game of 2024 at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on Saturday (21 December).

Coming off their thrilling comeback win over Punjab FC, the Red & Gold Brigade look to produce another memorable display in front of their home fans and will face a stern challenge against a stubborn Jamshedpur FC side capable of popping up a lot of surprises.

The Stakes

East Bengal

Oscar Bruzon’s side showed a lot of heart and resilience in their win over Punjab FC, but consistency is key for them to actually get closer to the playoffs spot.

They face the sixth-palced team in the ISL and have a chance at closing that gap from that sixth spot. For that, the gaffer has to ensure his side maintain the momentum they showed in the second half against Punjab, which includes converting their chances clinically and being defensively resolute.

If they can produce a similar performance to blow away Jamshedpur, East Bengal’s squad can get a huge shot of confidence on securing a playoffs spot. But a loss at home can again cause frustration and that road to sixth place to get even more straining.

Jamshedpur FC

Khalid Jamil will look to put a dampener on his former team’s form and ensure that his side can maintain the impressive form since their loss to Mohun Bagan. The Men of Steel can’t repeat the mistakes they made in their 3-0 loss during their last visit to Kolkata and have to be defensively much sturdier.

They also have to take chances clinically against this resolute East Bengal side to have a chance of a positive result. A win for Jamshedpur FC can help them solidify their place among the top-6, while a loss can ruin all the good work they’ve done in recent games.

Team & Injury News

East Bengal

Naorem Mahesh Singh is a doubt after picking up a head injury in the last game, while Dimitrios Diamantakos’ availability is up in the air as well. Saul Crespo and Madih Talal are definitely ruled out, with the latter out for the rest of the campaign.

Jamshedpur FC

Jamshedpur FC should have a fully fit squad available for this game.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 9

Jamshedpur FC wins – 4

East Bengal wins – 2

Draws – 3

Predicted Lineups

East Bengal (4-4-1-1)

Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Mohamad Rakip, Hector Yuste, Hijazi Maher, Lalchungnunga, Anwar Ali, Jeakson Singh, PV Vishnu, Nandhakumar Sekar, Cleiton Silva, David Lalhlansanga

Jamshedpur FC (4-2-2-2)

Albino Gomes (GK), Ashutosh Mehta, Pratik Chaudhari, Stephen Eze, Muhammad Uvais, Sourav Das, Rei Tachikawa, Imran Khan, Mohammed Sanan, Javier Hernandez, Javier Siverio

Players to Watch

PV Vishnu (East Bengal)

PV Vishnu proved himself as a game-changer for East Bengal by producing an inspired second half display against Punjab FC and getting a goal & assist in the 4-2 win. The winger is flying high on confidence and will look to maintain his good form against the Men of Steel. Vishnu will look to use his smart playing style to get into the dangerous areas in the final third and get things rolling in the East Bengal frontline.

He really needs to look at nailing his final third product, especially his crosses, to help create more chances for his teammates. Vishnu will also look to continue sneaking his way into the box and get at the end of opportunities, but needs to be at his lethal best to outwit the Jamshedpur FC backline.

Javier Siverio (Jamshedpur FC)

Javier Siverio is coming into this game in red-hot form after having scored three goals in the last two games, getting himself absolutely charged up. He’ll look to haunt his former side with a clinical performance and be an absolute menace for the defenders with his physical nature and clever link-up play in the final third.

Sivierio will have to be intelligent in timing his runs ideally to get past the East Bengal centre-backs and destabilize their strong defensive shape. The Spaniard will look to continue his goal-scoring heroics by finishing off whatever he gets clinically and helping Jamshedpur FC get all three points from their visit to Kolkata.

Did you know?

• East Bengal have kept three clean sheets in their last five ISL matches.
• Rei Tachikawa has created 21 chances for Jamshedpur FC so far this season, the most for any player on the team.
• East Bengal have only picked up one win in their last five ISL games against Jamshedpur FC.

Telecast

The East Bengal vs Jamshedpur FC match will take place on Saturday (21 December) at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata. It will kick off at 7:30 PM IST.

The match will be shown live on Sports 18 and be available to stream on Jio Cinema and Jio TV. International viewers can catch it out on the One Football app.

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