With thumping hearts and a rush of blood to the head, the FC Pune City team will take to the capital against the mighty Delhi Dynamos. This match will be a history in the making. Our captain and marquee player David Trezeguet will square up against an old friend and ex-Juventus strike partner- Alessandro Del Piero.Trezeguet and Del Piero- World Cup winners with France (1998) and Italy(2006) have mesmerised Football lovers world over with their silky touches and goal poaching skills. However, this will be the first time that they will be leading a team against each other.Our team infused with Italian skills in the playing and coaching department, are familiar with the threats that Del Piero possesses. Bruno Cirillo, Danielle Magliochetti and goal keeper Emanuele Belardi will be raring at the prospect of an all Italian reunion. Both the Italian defenders- Bruno and Daniele will have their task cut out against Del Piero’s runs in the box.Another player with similar thoughts is the young Indian midfielder- Lenny Rodrigues. He, along with the sturdy Kashmiri defensive midfielder Mehrajuddin Wadoo will have the onus of breaking up play and stopping those incisive Del Piero crosses into the foot of the in-form Danish striker Mads Junker.While our defence is ready to fire, so is the strike department. The strike force in the camp looks adequately equipped with Dudu Omagbemi and Ivan Bolado set to ally with the World Cup winner David Trezeguet. Ivan has been in sensational form in the pre-season and Dudu Omagbemi has found his scoring touch almost immediately after joining the club and would surely count on his experience of playing on the Indian soil.Midfield dominance could be the key in this match. With strikers capable of individual brilliance, it is the mid-fielders running the extra mile that could decide the fate of the match.It is an interesting phase of the tournament when all teams are heading with equal measures of caution and aggression. As coach Franco Colomba pointed out “ We have studied the opposition carefully and are approaching this match with a lot of confidence. Having said that, any prediction at this stage is a speculation. The opposition is new, the occasion is new and the experience will be a new one. We are prepared”.The stage is set for some lively action. With two strong teams in contention, and two world cup winners on the field, expect magic.
