Preview: Soaring Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur meet in high-octane clash

The reverse fixture between these two teams ended in a stalemate.

Bengaluru FC will look to upset Jamshedpur FC's applecart and sharpen their playoff aspirations when the two sides meet in the Indian Super League at the Athletic Stadium in Bambolim on Saturday.

Jamshedpur have won their last three games, spread over two weeks, to sit four points adrift of league leaders Hyderabad FC , in second position but with two more games in hand. A win will help them snap at Hyderabad's heels but in Bengaluru, they will face a rival who have found their mojo back.

The Stakes

Bengaluru FC

The Blues won back-to-back games for the first time this season when they beat Kerala Blasters in the last game and also broke into the top-four for the first time. They have 20 points from 14 games.

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who celebrated his birthday on Thursday, has looked his usual self in goal for the former champions with Bengaluru keeping four clean sheets in the last seven games. Three of those four clean sheets have come in the last four matches. The Blues have only leaked one goal in that period. And have become more compact of late. They have let the opposition have the ball more in the last 4 matches and this can be seen through their possession numbers.

Roshan Singh Naorem scored his maiden ISL goal in the previous game and has looked good this season too. Only three defenders have had more goal contributions in a season than Roshan Singh, underlining his impact not only at the back but in attack as well.

"Jamshedpur are a physical team, they have a new player in (Daniel) Chima who brings a lot of speed, and can score a lot of goals. Our last game was a good, tough game, but I think we did a little bit more than them on that night," Blues' head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli said at the pre-match press conference when asked about Jamshedpur.

"I think it will be a tough game for sure, but now after quarantine, we've had three games in seven days. We are still not back to our best, condition-wise, and that's something we want to work towards," he added.

Jamshedpur FC

For Jamshedpur, their rock-solid defence is one of the main reasons for their success. The Men of Steel kept a clean sheet in their last two games. They have only conceded four goals in their previous six matches after shipping eight in their first five outings.

Daniel Chima Chukwu scored on debut since jumping ship from SC East Bengal. And head coach Owen Coyle would hope he keeps firing.

"He is here because of his qualities. He is a terrific footballer and has won leagues at a very high level. He has played in some tough leagues. He has shown what a good player he is. He is a great addition," Coyle said.

"We know the quality that we have. What we want to do is see the job through. We have the opportunity to attain the points and want to continue our winning run," he added.The last time the two sides met, it was a goalless draw but with stakes higher this time around, it promises to be a battle to look forward to.

Team News

Prince Ibara is out of the game after accumulating four yellow cards. Leon Augustine is back in training after recovering from a fever post-injury recovery. No new concerns otherwise.

Jordan Murray misses out as he picked up an injury in training. Captain Peter Hartley is also doubtful for the game. There are 3-4 more injury concerns that coach Owen Coyle didn't reveal, and he will wait till the last minute to decide the squad.

Head-to-Head

The game between Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC has always been an anticipated one. The Blues seem to be the underdogs when we consider previous results. The Blues have just managed two wins compared to Jamshedpur FC's four in nine games. However the last game during first half of the season ended in a draw, taking the draws tally to three.

Probable Lineups

Bengaluru FC: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Parag Shrivas, Pratik Chaudhari, Alan Costa, Naorem Roshan Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Bruno Ramires, Danish Farooq, Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri

Jamshedpur FC: Rehnesh TP (GK), Dinliana Renthlei, Narender Gehlot, Eli Sabia, Ricky Lallawmawma, Len Doungel, Greg Stewart, Boris Singh, Daniel Chima

Did you know?

• Bengaluru FC have been awarded the highest number of penalties so far this season.
• Bengaluru FC are joint second for number of clean sheets this season.
• With 6 assists, Jamshedpur FC's Greg Stewart ranks joint top for total assists this season.

Telecast

The match between Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC will be played at the GMC Athletic Stadium, Goa. The game will kick-off at 7:30 pm IST. It will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network. The match will also be streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar platform and the JioTV app.

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