Jamshedpur will take on Mariners in the important Sunday night encounter of Indian Football League 2020-21. Jamshedpur had previously defeated Habas’ men in the first leg encounter.
Match Timings: Feb 14, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
Jamshedpur are back on the track after securing a much-needed victory over Chennai, and they are still in the race of playoffs. Red Miners secured a second victory from the last three matches, and with 21 points, Jamshedpur can look for the top four finish. Chennai had good control in the match, but last minute own goal gave Jamshedpur three-points. TP Rehenesh was also a standout performer who blocked Lallianzuala Chhangte and Rahim Ali to strike. In the final minute, Red Miners earned the goal when David Grande’s shot was deflected by center-back Enes Sipovic, and it went into the net.
The Red Miners cannot afford a defeat in the next three games, and they have to rely on Goa, Northeast, and Hyderabad's results. One more defeat will create more trouble for Jamshedpur. They can reach a maximum of 30 points, and the negative goal-difference will also play a crucial role in the top-four finish. The best they can do is concentrating on each game and look for the full three points. The task won’t be easy for the Red Miners as they have to face Mumbai and Bengaluru next. Taking full points against these sides is like climbing a mountain. When the last time, these two sides faced each other, Red Miners had the last laugh with a 2-1 victory, courtesy of Valskis’ brace.
Meanwhile, Mariners now have good control in the points table, and whenever Mumbai drops points, they get a chance to step closer to the top spot. After 16 matches, both sides separate each other by just one point. Mumbai dropped points against Northeast and Goa in the last three encounters. Mariners also bounced back after losing to Highlanders 2-1, and they defeated Kerala, Odisha, and Bengaluru in successive matches. Kolkata giants are coming off a 3-matches winning streak.
In the last outing, they outclassed Blues with first-half brilliance. For the first time this season, Habas’ side scored twice in the first half, and they went goalless in the second half. Mariners are known as the best second-half team, and they lacked most in the first half this season, but they changed the attitude against Bengaluru. Roy Krishna added one more goal in his goal telly to provide an early lead, and Marcelinho doubled it in the 45th minute. The Brazilian provided the strength from his left foot and availed the top right corner from the free-kick to get past a diving Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Habas is now looking for the AFC Champions League spot, and they can back themselves after back-to-back success. In the last three matches, they earned nine points, and its rivals Islanders secured just one. Mariners will also play Mumbai in the last league game of the season to wrap up the shield trophy on February 28. Before going into this match, Kolkata giants have to overcome Jamshedpur, Bengal, and Hyderabad.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Mohun B.
Arindam Bhattacharya; Subhasish Bose, Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan, Prabir Das, Carl McHugh, Lenny Rodrigues, Manvir Singh, David Williams, Marcelo Pereira, Roy Krishna
Current Form: W W W L W
Previous Match: 2-0 victory against Bengaluru
Jamshedpur
TP Rehenesh, Laldinliana Renthlei, Stephen Eze, Peter Hartley, Ricky Lallawmawma, Aitor Monroy, Alex Lima, Len Doungel, William Lalnunfela, David Grande, Farukh Choudhary
Current Form: W L W D D
Previous Match: 1-0 victory against Chennai
Key Players
Mohun B.
Roy Krishna
12 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Manvir Singh
4 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jamshedpur
Nerijus Valskis
8 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Stephen Eze
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
