Preview: Jamshedpur to revive playoffs hopes with win over East Bengal?

The Men of Steel will climb one position higher in the table with a victory.

Jamshedpur FC faceoff against SC East Bengal in a must-win Indian Super League clash at the Fatorda Stadium in a 'Super Sunday' double-header. It is a very crucial fixture for the Men of Steel, as they need to keep their winning momentum going to revive any chances of securing a place in the playoffs. 

While SC East Bengal are still mathematically in the race, it looks unlikely for them from hereon. Therefore, they will be looking to play good football and pick up points from every game to finish at a respectable position.

The Stakes

Jamshedpur FC started the season very strongly and were in the top four during the New Year's break. However, when action resumed, the Men of Steel suffered three defeats in succession which pegged them back. After earning five points from the last three matches, Owen Coyle's men are looking to build a winning momentum again and put the pressure back on other teams. 

While things were not working for Coyle, he made some changes to his roster and brought in players like Seiminlen Doungel and Farukh Choudhary in exchange for Jackichand Singh to add more pace to the attack and also provide more support to his talisman Nerijus Valskis. The Scotsman is leaving no stones unturned to reach the playoffs for the first time in Jamshedpur's history. 

For the majority of the season, SC East Bengal have been reactive. The Red and Gold had a few problems at the start of the campaign, mainly with their defence and also the lack of a quality goalscorer upfront. While the defence got sorted with Danny Fox's return from injury, the goalscorer never came. Robbie Fowler roped in star forward Bright Enobakhare and though the Nigerian is exceptional on the ball and can dribble past any defender at will, goals are still not coming. 

The Red and Gold showed glimpses of good football, especially against Mumbai City FC, but the lack of a proven goalscorer prevented them from beating the Islanders. For the time being, Fowler will be looking to secure a win, as they are winless in their last five matches and for that, he would need his forwards to step up their game. 

Teams News

Jamshedpur FC have most of their important players available for the fixture against SC East Bengal. However, Laldinliana Renthlei picked up a knock in the last match and his fitness will be monitored ahead of the game, as David Grande will continue to miss out due to injury. New signing Boris Singh will also be available and is expected to make it to the matchday squad. 

Just like their opponents, SC East Bengal will also have most of their players available. It is understood that Raju Gaikwad and Loken Meitei are still injured and getting better every day, but are unlikely to feature in this match. It will also be interesting to see which foreign players Fowler opts to start against the Men of Steel.

Head-to-Head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlECL7_CxpU

This is SC East Bengal's first season in the Indian Super League. Therefore, both the sides have only played each other once, which was earlier this season in the reverse fixture. The match ended in a 0-0 draw, with both teams getting a player sent off. 

Probable Lineups

Jamshedpur FC: Rehenesh (GK); Renthlei, Eze, Hartley, Ricky; Mobashir, Monroy, Fitgerald; Doungel, Valskis, Farukh.

SC East Bengal: Debjit (GK); Mukherjee, Neville, Fox, Narayan; Milan, Steinmann; Maghoma, Enobakhare, Rafique; Harmanpreet.

Man to Watch 

Farukh Choudhary (Jamshedpur FC)

Farukh has had an immediate impact since his return to Jamshedpur FC. He has used his pace to get in behind defenders and has got into goalscoring positions on multiple occasions. However, he will just look to add that final touch to his game that is to score goals.

The 24-year-old was involved in most of the attacks for the Men of Steel in their last match, but was not clinical to take the chances when they came his way. Farukh, with his pace and trickery will be a huge threat for SC East Bengal. 

Bright Enobakhare (SC East Bengal)

One of the few positives for East Bengal this season, Bright has been a class apart from the rest since his arrival in India. The Nigerian forward has shown exemplary dribbling skills and determination to glide past opponents at will. The former Wolves man likes to drop deep and pick the ball up to stretch the opposition defence with his mazy runs. 

Bright would like to add goals to his overall game. While he has created a lot of chances for the Red and Gold, the 22-year-old needs to find the target more often. Nevertheless, he will be the primary threat for the Men of Steel in this match. 

Did You Know?

• For any player with a minimum of 10 shots on target, Jamshedpur FC striker Nerijus Valskis has the best shooting accuracy in the league this season (76%). 
• Jamshedpur FC lead the crossing statistics in the league with 245 crosses this season. 
• SC East Bengal have played three matches with only one shot on target. They had only one shot on target against Jamshedpur FC, FC Goa and in their last match against Bengaluru FC.

Telecast

The match between Jamshedpur FC and SC East Bengal will be live on Star Sports Network from 5:00 PM IST on Sunday. Apart from English, there will be telecast on several other regional languages. Live streaming of the match will be available on Hotstar and Jio TV.