Jamshedpur FC will be looking to snap their three-match losing streak with a win when they take on Hyderabad FC in Match 69 of the 2020-21 Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco in Sunday’s first game.

Jamshedpur will be the more eager side since a win can revive their top-four aspirations. In their last match, they lost to NorthEast United FC 2-1, and the inconsistency of their star striker Nerijus Valskis in quite a few matches this season will particularly bother head coach Owen Coyle ahead of the encounter. Valskis has scored 8 goals this season so far but in the last two games there has been no contribution from him. There were a few good opportunities for him to score in these two matches but he lacked the finishing touch. Jamshedpur are heavily reliant on the Lithuanian striker with him scoring the bulk of their total 13 goals so far, which suggests how important it is for the team to have him back to form and goals.

In terms of defence, there are problems again with Jamshedpur. All though they have registered three clean sheets, they have conceded 17 goals so far. They are one of the most vulnerable defences this season and this is another aspect they will have to work on and improve quickly if they want to make it to the top-4 at the end of the league stage. In a major boost, Jamshedpur have brought in Farukh Choudhary and Seiminlen Doungel from Mumbai City FC and FC Goa respectively and will expect the duo to play an important role.

“Nobody ever likes to lose games. I can only speak about this season. We have shown that we can compete against the very best. We had a horrible week. There's no doubt about that. The performances that we have had, we could have some points against Kerala Blasters FC and NorthEast United FC. The margins are very fine and we have to make sure to be on the right side of those margins,” Coyle said ahead of the game.

Hyderabad FC, on the other hand, are the form team having been unbeaten in their last four games that saw them register thumping wins against two-time champions Chennaiyin FC and NorthEast United FC. In their last two matches they shared the points with table-toppers Mumbai City FC and Odisha FC after 0-0 and 1-1 draws respectively. Presently they are fourth in the points table and a win will strengthen their position in the top-4. 

Hyderabad are quite blessed with some of the really talented Indian players like Liston Colaco, Halicharan Narzary, Chinglensana Singh, Asish Rai and Akash Mishra and the return of Joel Chianese to full fitness and form will make them buoyant going into the game. Chianese’s performance has been crucial in the last few matches. Then there is Aridane Santana, their top scorer this season with six goals, to make them feel even better. On current form, Manuel Marquez’s men will fancy their chances on Sunday and Jamshedpur will really have to play out of their skin to deny them.

“It will be a difficult game. They will try to win after losing three games. They have a coach with lots of experience in Owen Coyle. They have got new players. It was our third match [talking about the 1-1 draw between the teams earlier in the season] back then. We had a short pre-season then and now, we have to play eight games, so we will fight till the end. In January, we have played four games, two wins, two draws. We have played good football. We are creating chances," Marquez 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, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Mohammad Mobashir, Jitendra Singh, Gaurab, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Gorachand Mamdi, Billu Teli, Seiminlen Doungel

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

Hyderabad FC

Goalkeepers: Lalbiakhlua Jongte, Laxmikant Kattimani, Manas Dubey, Subrata Paul

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Dimple Bhagat, Kynsailang Khongsit, Nikhil Prabhu, Odei Onaindia, Sahil Panwar

Midfielders: Abhishek Halder, Adil Khan, Sahil Tavora, Halicharan Narzary, Hitesh Sharma, Joao Victor, Laldanmawia Ralte, Lluis Sastre, Mark Zothanpuia, Mohammed Yasir, Nikhil Poojary, Souvik Chakrabarti, Sweden Fernandes, Roland Alberg

Forwards: Aridane Santana, Fran Sandaza, Ishan Dey, Joel Chianese, Lalawmpuia, Liston Colaco, Rohit Danu

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 69: Jamshedpur FC vs Hyderabad FC

Date: January 24 (Sunday)

Time: 5:00 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV