Gombau out for better season, Portugal keen to retain possession

Last season, the Lions conceded the highest number of goals in the league while The Stallions reached the playoffs.

Delhi Dynamos and Pune City kick-off their respective Indian Super League campaigns with a fixture against each other. The Capital club finished a poor eighth, last season and will be hoping to put in a better display this time around, with the arrival of Spanish coach Josep Gombau. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra-based club finished in fourth position last season.

Both the sides will be aiming to begin their season with a bang, with a place in the playoffs a primary objective for each.

Coach's Corner

Josep Gombau (Delhi Dynamos)

According to Gombau, his side have had a good pre-season

When asked if his team is ready for their first fixture of this ISL season, Gombau replied, “Yes, we are ready. We have been working for the past six weeks, which was pre-season. We went to Kolkata, then Doha and then two weeks here in Delhi. I think we are ready to play this first game and all of us are looking forward to tomorrow.”

Last season, Delhi Dynamos lacked quality Indian players in the team and it was a concern. When asked if his side have improved on that aspect the former Australia U-23 gaffer said, “I think we have a good pool of Indian players in our squad. They have hunger and want to fight for a starting spot. We have players who are active with the national team. We have a good Indian base of players.”

When asked, what to expect tomorrow from his side, the former Barcelona youth coach said, “Look every first game is tough and it has high expectations. Sometimes the result varies a lot, depending on what people expect. But I think, my boys will implement whatever they have learned, play good, and maybe win the game.”

Last season, the capital club gave away 37 goals in the entire campaign – also the highest – due to weak defensive organisation. Aslked if the issue has been fixed the 42-year-old replied, “This is a new season. We have new players and a new squad. What happened last season, we cannot control it. I think we have changed quite a lot of players. Every year is different and I hope this time we start on a good note and be more competitive.”

When asked if his side were already behind top teams like Bengaluru and Chennaiyin, Gombau said, “I am happy with my side. I think we have a good team and we can compete in this competition. We have to work hard and I think we will fare well this season.”

Regarding his important foreign acquisitions the Amposta-born manager said, “When we were thinking of which foreign players to sign, we felt that players like Marcos and Rene (with prior experience in India) would be good additions to our squad. We needed someone with ISL experience, because sometimes when you get a good overseas player, they take time to adapt to the region’s competition. Rene has already won the ISL. I am happy to have them around. Also, Crespi has a lot of experience. He has played a few games in the LaLiga and is a good addition to our team.”

Miguel Angel Portugal (FC Pune City)

Portugal believes striker Alfaro will be good this season

When asked about how he was going to perform this season after a poor 2017-19 campaign with Delhi Dynamos, the Spaniard said, “Last season in Delhi, we had the worst budget. Now in Pune, we have a better budget. It is an important factor, as having a high budget means you can have the best players. In Pune, we don’t have the best budget, but neither the worst. Having a good budget means we can fight for the first position.”

Regarding the departure of Marcos Tebar to the Dynamos before his arrival, Portugal quipped in a cheerful manner, “He doesn’t want to play with me. I go to Delhi, he goes to Pune. I come to Pune, he goes to Delhi. He played under me when I managed Real Madrid Castilla, but now he doesn’t want to play. I think he is a good player.”

When asked if Iain Hume’s injury would affect his side’s performances this season, the 62-year-old said, “I have Alfaro. He is a good striker. He has put in good displays during his time in India. Hume’s injury is not a problem.”

On what to expect from tomorrow fixture, the gaffer said, “Josep plays like me. I play like him. I think it will be a good match. Tomorrow possession will be important, but finishing will be more important. But, I think the team with most of the ball, will win the match.”

Team News

Delhi Dynamos

The manager has 24 players out of the 25-man squad. The one omission is of their secondary striker, Daniel Lahlilmpuia who is still recovering from the injury he incurred near the SAFF Cup 2018. The conundrum of playing one of Albino Gomes or Dorronsoro Sanchez still remains.

ALSO READ:

• ISL 2018-19 Team Profile: Delhi Dynamos

• ISL 2018-19 Team Profile: FC Pune City

• ISL Gameweek 1 Preview: Traditional rivals set to clash as new season kicks-off

FC Pune City

All the players have travelled to Delhi for their opening fixture, with the exclusion of probably one squad player, who according to Khel Now sources, has received a knock in one of the training sessions.

Probable Lineups

Delhi Dynamos

Dorronsoro, Kotal, Sajid Dhot, Crespi Pascual, Narayan Das, Tebar, Vinit Rai, Mihelic, Chhangte, Kaluderovic and Kumar Sekar.

FC Pune City

Vishal, Golui, Gurtej, Mills, Fanai, Adil, Stankovic, Ashique, Stankovic, Carlos, Alfaro.

Did You Know?

FC Pune City's manager Miguel Angel Portugal was the manager for Delhi Dynamos last season.

Both the teams started their league season in the same fixture last campaign.

Marcos Tebar played for the Delhi outfit in 2016, played for Pune City in 2017-18 and is now back with the Dynamos this season.

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Broadcast

The match will take place at 7:30 PM, on 3rd October 2018. It will be played in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Delhi). On television, the match will be live on Star Sports. It will also be streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.