Jamshedpur FC will be eager to extend their six-match unbeaten run in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 when they face FC Goa at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Wednesday. Owen Coyle’s men will head into the clash against Goa in a confident frame of mind after a win in their last outing, while the Gaurs will be keen to bounce back after successive defeats.

The Jharkhand-based club ended NorthEast United FC’s unbeaten start to the campaign in their last outing and will be eager to go into the Christmas break with another victory. They have failed to find the back of the net in just one game this season and will back themselves to get on the scoresheet against a Goa side that’s kept only one clean sheet in Hero ISL 2020-21 so far.

Coyle’s men seem like a settled unit where all his players know their roles. His backline, especially the centre-back pairing of Stephen Eze and skipper Peter Hartley have been immense for them in defence. Their domestic players have also come to the fore of late with young Aniket Jadhav netting the winner in their last outing.

Jackichand Singh has been their most creative player and has provided three assists this season. Mohammad Mobashir and Alexandre Lima have also been consistent performers for the team in midfield, while Nerijus Valskis has been their talisman in attack with six goals.

"The boys have been doing well as they do in every game. They are a wonderful group, very professional, disciplined and motivated and we obviously want to continue to maintain the unbeaten run and equally want to win the match and get three points," said Jamshedpur head coach Coyle ahead of the game.

Meanwhile, Goa will want to return to winning ways following consecutive losses. The Gaurs must start games better than they have recently. They have conceded the first goal in five out of their seven matches, drawing twice and losing thrice in those games. Both the matches that they have scored in first have seen Goa win the game.

When in full flow, the Gaurs can be a delight to watch in attack. Goa have scored all their eight goals from open play and have conceded just twice from open play. However, they must improve defensively having conceded six times from set-pieces. The likes of Ivan Gonzalez and James Donachie must do better in such situations if Goa want a turnaround in fortunes.

Their best performers in midfield so far have been Brandon Fernandes and Alexander Jesuraj. However, they haven’t been getting a consistent run of games from the start and Goa’s head coach Juan Ferrando should look into changing that. Jorge Ortiz Mendoza is another influential Goa player that hasn’t always started for the Gaurs. He along with compatriot Igor Angulo, who is the side’s top-scorer with six goals, will be entrusted with goal-scoring responsibilities.

"Our focus is on the present, to think about the next game against Jamshedpur tomorrow. Of course, I'm so sad about the last two results but it's not possible to change the past," Goa head coach Ferrando said ahead of the game.

Squads:

Jamshedpur FC

Goalkeepers: Pawan Kumar, Niraj Kumar, TP Rehenesh, Raj Mahato, Vishal Yadav

Defenders: Narender Gahlot, Joyner Lourenco, Ricky Lallawmawma, Sandip Mandi, Laldinliana Renthlei, Karan Amin, Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Subhash Barua, Manash Protim Gogoi

Midfielders: Aitor Monroy, Alexandre Lima, Amarjit Singh, Jackichand Singh, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Mohammad Mobashir, Jitendra Singh, Gaurab, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Gorachand Mamdi, Billu Teli

Forwards: Nerijus Valskis, William Lalnunfela, John Fitzgerald, David Grande, Sapam Kennedy, Bhupender Singh, Aniket Jadhav

FC Goa

Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Shubham Dhas, Antonio D’Silva

Defenders: Sarineo Fernandes, Aiban Dohling, Ivan Gonzalez, James Donachie, Leander D’Cunha, Mohamed Ali, Sanson Pereira, Saviour Gama, Seriton Fernandes

Midfielders: Alberto Noguera, Alexander Jesuraj, Brandon Fernandes, Edu Bedia, Flan Gomes, Jorge Mendoza, Lenny Rodrigues, Nestor Dias, Phrangki Buam, Princeton Rebello, Redeem Tlang, Seiminlen Doungel

Forwards: Aaren D’Silva, Devendra Murgaonkar, Igor Angulo, Ishan Pandita, Makan Chothe

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 38: Jamshedpur FC vs FC Goa

Date: December 23 (Wednesday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV