Jamshedpur FC will be looking to climb above FC Goa in the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) standings with a win over the Gaurs at the Fatorda Stadium on Thursday. Goa though won the earlier meeting between the teams this season and enjoy a superior head-to-head record over Jamshedpur having won four, lost two and drawn one of their seven encounters against each other.

However, Owen Coyle’s men will be eager to make amends after their loss to the Gaurs earlier in the season and they will head into the contest with the added incentive of replacing Goa in the top four with a win. That said, getting the better of Goa is easier said than done and Jamshedpur will have to be on top of their game to make it happen.

For starters, they will need to defend better and protect a lead with conviction if they go in front, which is something they haven’t done all season. Jamshedpur, in fact, have lost as many as seven points after scoring the first goal in a match and have conceded eight out of 12 goals in the second half. Defenders Peter Hartley and Stephen Eze will be aware of these shortcomings and will hope to put in more assured performances at the back.

Up front, a lot will depend on how Nerijus Valskis fares. The Lithuanian is Jamshedpur’s leading scorer this campaign with eight goals and will be eager to add to that tally after netting a brace in vain in his side’s last outing. The likes of Jackichand Singh, Mohammad Mobashir and Aitor Monroy will be entrusted with providing the service to Valskis for the Lithuanian to make his presence felt in front of goal.

“…We have improved no end, last season Jamshedpur had taken five points from last 10 games, this season we have taken 13 from the opening 10. We know we should have been more than that. We made individual mistakes against Kerala [in the 3-2 loss in their last game] …We have to eradicate individual mistakes. We have to continue to move forward, continue to improve because FC Goa is very good side. We have to continue working hard, working together. We have a great staff here and a great set of players and we continue to get better,” Coyle said ahead of the game.

Meanwhile, Goa will be keen to pick up a win after a draw in their last outing. Juan Ferrando’s men have scored 10 goals from open play this season and are easy on the eye when attacking in full flow. A resilient side, Goa have won nine points – more than any side in the league – after conceding the first goal of the match.

That said, Ferrando won’t want his team to fall behind against Jamshedpur and will rather encourage them to make a strong start and stamp their authority on the contest. They have plenty of technically gifted players like Brandon Fernandes, Alberto Noguera and Jorge Ortiz Mendoza that can help them control the match and dictate the tempo.

Going forward, all eyes will be on Igor Angulo, who is the league’s leading goal-getter this season with nine strikes so far. The Spaniard netted a brace as Goa came from behind to beat Jamshedpur in their previous meeting this season and he will back himself to find the back of the net again against Coyle’s men.

"I believe in my squad. No individual plan for anyone. Be it Valskis, Lima or Jackichand. For us, it is important to play as a team and to prepare against the Jamshedpur side. Jamshedpur is a very good team. We have to improve game by game. We try to find our mistakes, and in the training, we are working on it. We don't want to repeat the same mistakes,” Ferrando said ahead of the game. 

Squads:

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 Murgaokar, Igor Angulo, Ishan Pandita, Makan Chothe

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

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 58: FC Goa vs Jamshedpur FC

Date: January 14 (Thursday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV