After suffering defeats in previous outings, Bengaluru and Jamshedpur will face each other to conclude its campaign in 2020 with a win.
Match Timings: Dec 28, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Bengaluru ended its consistent run this season by losing the first game of the season against Mohun B. last week. The game started on a positive note for the Mariners as they took the lead in the 33rd minute through David Williams’ strike through a good pass from McHugh. Bengaluru tried to find a equaliser in the second half, but Habas’s men held them for 1-0 defeat.
Cuadrat dropped Suresh Wangjam in the first half, who was really missed in the midfield after an average show from Dimas Delgado and Erik Paartalu. Blues gave Mariners easy chances in the first half, and it shifted the momentum in favour of Habas. Wangjam almost registered an assist in the 76th minute through a backpass to Cleiton Silva, but the Brazilian striker failed to equalise. Despite dropping three points in Fatorda, Blues take the third spot in the table with 12 points. From the seven matches, they have won three, drawn three, and lost one match. Ashique Kuruniyan is still not available due to injury, and he will miss this affair too.
Meanwhile, Jamshedpur got a heartbreak in the last outing due to a controversial referral, and it cost them a match. Owen Coyle’s side had a 6-matches unbeaten streak before losing this match. Red Miners looked a better side in the first half, and they took the lead through Stephen Eze’s second goal of the season through the assist of Aitor Monroy. In the second half, Goa replied back with Igor Angulo’s penalty. Alex Lima scored for Jamshedpur, but the referee didn’t award a clear goal, and it become the turning point of the game. The heartbreak didn’t stop as Igor Angulo scored from the back of his head in the fifth minute of stoppage time through Edu Bedia’s corner-kick.
Jamshedpur are sitting at sixth in the table with two wins and four draws. On Monday, three points can give them a third spot in the table, one point better-off the Monday rivals. Bengaluru and Jamshedpur have faced each other on six occasions. Both sides have two wins each, and two of the six matches have ended in a draw.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Bengaluru
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Pratik Chaudhari, Harmanjot Khabra, Dimas, Erik Paartalu, Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri, Deshorn Brown, Udanta Singh
Current form: D W W D W
Previous match: 1-0 defeat against Mohun B.
Jamshedpur
TP Rehenesh, Laldinliana Renthlei, Stephen Eze, Peter Hartley, Ricky Lallawmawma, Aitor Monroy, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Alex Lima, Jackichand Singh, Nerijus Valskis, Aniket Jadhav
Current form: D W D D W
Previous match: 2-1 defeat against Goa
Key Players
Bengaluru
Cleiton Silva
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Sunil Chhetri
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jamshedpur
Nerijus Valskis
6 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Stephen Eze
2 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
