Northeast will take on Jamshedpur in the first doubleheader clash in Indian Football League 2020-21. Highlanders are coming off a 1-1 draw while Jamshedpur were thrashed by Goa 3-0.
Match Timings: Jan 17, 5 PM IST
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Northeast’s wait for the win continued as Highlanders settled for a point when they played Bengaluru last week. Before Christmas, they were in the top four but now, this poor form made its task difficult for the playoffs. They had a chance to walk away with three points but Blues held them for a draw. Northeast took the early lead through Luis Machado’s goal in the first-half but they allowed Bengaluru to scored as their goalkeeper Gurmeet Singh made a silly error in the second half. His one mistake cost Highlanders two points. He failed to save Rahul Bheke’s shot and let the ball get past him. Northeast picked him over Subhasish and it proved to be a big blow.
Northeast is also missing Kwesi Appiah, who is out due to an injury. Idrissa Sylla also missed out the previous game. Both strikers have played a crucial role in the first month of this season. VP Suhair didn’t make any impact as a striker and Highlanders have to find out the option. Northeast have the second-worst differential (-3.26) between expected goals and only Chennai have the poorest differential than the Highlanders. They have conceded a league-high 6 goals from the set-pieces. With 9 more games left, Highlanders have to pick the momentum in the next couple of games to crack the playoffs code.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur suffered two back-to-back defeats and lost the opportunity to take the place in the top four. They conceded a clean sheet in Fatorda and an early double strike in the first half made the whole difference. Jamshedpur got the first big chance through Peter Hartley’s header. Naveen Kumar made a good save in the 12th minute to stop Valksis to strike. Goa dominated the game and Ortiz was denied by TP Rehenesh but Gaurs found the first goal in the 19th minute. Alex Lima and Nerijus Valskis set up a goal but Naveen Kumar survived the scar. The second half went to Goa and in the 52nd minute, Ortiz completed a brace through a good setup by Noguera and Brandon Fernandes. Rehenesh made another fine save to avoid a hattrick from the Spaniard. After the cooling break, Red Miners came close to scoring but Naveen Kumar denied it.
Gaurs made it 3-0 when Ivan Gonzalez scored a goal to secure three easy points. Red Miners conceded the fourth clean sheet of the season and the poor defense made their task tougher. Narender Gehlot, Stephen Eze, Peter Hartley, and Ricky Lallawmawma were not up to the mark in defending-line. Valksis created chances for Jamshedpur but his lone effort wasn’t enough. Red Miners desperately require three points on Sunday if they look for the playoff positions. They are just two points away from the fourth-placed Hyderabad so this game will surely open some chances to crack the top four. The last time they met this season, Jamshedpur had the final laugh with a 1-0 victory. Out of seven meetings between two, Red Miners have won two matches and five matches are drawn.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Jamshedpur
TP Rehenesh, Narendar Gehlot, Stephen Eze, Peter Hartley, Ricky Lallawmawma; Aitor Monroy, Mobashia Rahman; Aniket Jadhav, Alex Lima, Isaac Vanmalsawma; Nerijus Valskis
Current form: L L W L W
Previous match: 3-0 defeat to Goa
Northeast
Gurmeet/Subhasish (GK), Gurjinder Kumar, Ashutosh Mehta, Dylan Fox, Benjamin Lambot, Khassa Camara, Rochharzela, Federico Gallego, Lalrempuia Fanai, Suhair Vadakkepeedika, Luis Machado
Current form: D L L D D
Previous match: 1-1 draw with Bengaluru
Key Players
Jamshedpur
Nerijus Valskis
8 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Benjamin Lambot
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Northeast
Luis Machado
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Benjamin Lambot
2 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
