Javi Pinillos: Gurpreet Sandhu is the best keeper in Indian Super League

The Bengaluru FC assistant coach also revealed that new signing Deshorn Brown has applied for his Indian visa.

Following their triumph over a dominant FC Goa side, Bengaluru FC host Jamshedpur FC, who have been plagued by injuries and poor results. Ahead of the match, assistant coach Javi Pinillos and midfielder Dimas Delgado addressed the media in the pre-match press conference.

Javi Pinillos shared his thoughts on the lack of goalscorers in the team, barring Sunil Chhetri saying, "Sunil is our top scorer, but we are creating chances for everyone. The players have to score. We are working to make them score and we are sure that they will score and help us in the next matches. We create a lot of chances; we aren’t worried about just Sunil scoring because we are sure that all the players will score.”

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On Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

The Spaniard was all praise for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s stellar performance this season. He said, “Gurpreet is having a really good season and is a very important player for us. Everyone can see that he’s the best keeper in the Indian Super League.”

On Jamshedpur FC

Asked if the injuries in the Jamshedpur FC squad will be to the Blues’ advantage, Javi Pinillos answered, “Jamshedpur are showing this season that they play very good football. They have been in the top four for most of the season. So, we have to prepare properly. We can’t be confident about them because we know how hard it was in Jamshedpur. So, it’s a very important game for us and will be very tough.”

On Deshorn Brown

“Deshorn Brown has applied for the visa and we’re looking to have him here as soon as possible. We’ll see if he’s available for the match. We have been talking with him and he knows he will be a very important player for us and will help us,” Javi Pinillos revealed.

The reverse fixture between both sides ended in a goalless draw, with Jamshedpur goalkeeper Subrata Paul amassing a total of nine saves and Sandhu making some crucial ones too. “In Jamshedpur, Subrata Paul was the best man on the field. That means we are doing our job and creating lot of chances. Hopefully, tomorrow we can score. But, it isn’t about which keeper is the best, we have to try to do our best and win the game,” he added.

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Bengaluru FC midfielder Dimas Delgado also expressed his thoughts on the side’s poor performance in attack. “It’s not about scoring goals. We have to be worried if we’re not performing well, if we are not clear of what to do during the games, this is not our problem."

"Now, Sunil is scoring and everyone is happy with his job. But, we know that everyone can score. Because there are many ways to score, not just build-up from behind. We also have chances to score from set-pieces. We have a very good team; everyone can score,” he added.

Team News

Bengaluru FC currently have no new injuries ahead of this match.

Predicted XI

Sandhu; Nishu, Juanan, Serran, Bheke; Paartalu, Dimas, Khabra; Chhetri, Onwu, Ashique.

Head-to-Head

Jamshedpur FC are leading the head-to-head record, as out of five meetings between the two, they have defeated Bengaluru FC on two occasions, lost one and drawn two.

Broadcast

The game will commence from 7:30 PM IST on Thursday. It will be telecast live on Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 HD. It will also be available to stream on Hotstar and Jio TV.