FC Pune City take on Delhi Dynamos FC in the 2015 Hero Indian Super League (ISL] at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Wednesday. The Stallions sit pretty at the top of the table after winning their opening two games at home, making them the only team to still have a 100% record in the league. Delhi themselves will be confident heading into their third match of the season after a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC in their last game kick-started their campaign.Pune have been the in-form team of the league so far taking six points out of a possible 6, scoring 4 goals in the process. The Dynamos though will be hoping to halt Pune’s momentum and hand them their first set-back of Hero ISL 2015 after seeing off a free-scoring Chennaiyin FC comfortably in their previous match.Nicky Shorey vs Gustavo dos SantosNicky Shorey has asserted himself as a key cog in the Pune back-four after featuring in all 180 minutes of his side’s first two matches. Shorey has been solid at the back making nine clearances and three interceptions. The 34-year-old has also contributed heavily to his side’s ball-retention ability by completing 78 of his 101 attempted passes.Gustavo dos Santos’ propensity to drift into wide positions in search of space puts him in a direct confrontation with Pune’s full-backs. The youngster looked lively during his first start of the season against Chennai, creating havoc for the Super Machan defence. It was his run from the left that led to Delhi’s penalty in their last match. His pace and penetration is certain to create a few headaches for Pune’s defence.Lenny Rodrigues vs ChicaoLenny Rodrigues has become a very important player for FC Pune City in the first two editions of the Hero ISL. A consistent performer for Pune in Season 1, Rodrigues has started the new campaign in the same vein. Not only has he attempted more passes than anyone from his side (103), he has also made more tackles than any other Stallion so far (9). A key player for the men in orange and purple stripes, Rodrigues has the ability to unlock opposition defences.A calming influence in midfield, Chicao has wasted no time in cementing his place in the Delhi side. The combative midfield-general from Brazil offers vast experience to the Delhi midfield and has already made his presence felt after getting the winner from the spot in Delhi’s last game against Chennai. He is also a good distributor of the ball and can boast of an impressive passing accuracy of 83%.Adrian Mutu vs John Arne RiiseMutu looked sharp on his first start for Pune and will only get better as he gets closer to full-match fitness as the season progresses. The Romanian hitman could have found himself on the scoresheet with a bit more luck against Chennai. Mutu’s brilliant scoring record throughout his career should serve as a threat to the rest of the Hero ISL.Riise seems to be enjoying his new role at the heart of the defence after reinventing himself as centre back for the Dynamos. After years of terrorizing opponent defences down the left flank, Riise seems to have taken to the centre-back position seamlessly. The former Norwegian international has accounted for 17 clearances, three blocks and seven tackles just two games into Delhi’s season. Furthermore, his hammer of a left foot also adds an extra attacking edge to the Lions, making him a massive threat during dead-ball situations especially.Pune and Delhi will both be looking to carry forward their winning momentum after positive results in their last match. With an array of attacking talent available to both sides, we can expect an entertaining and attacking encounter that is sure to feature plenty of goals. The likes of Tuncay Sanli and Israil Gurung have already made an impact for Stallions.While Delhi have game changers in the form of Richard Gadze, Adil Nabi and Florent Malouda who can alter the course of matches from anywhere on the pitch. Nabi in particular will be looking to contribute to the Delhi cause having made two appearances from the bench as he builds his match-fitness. The Dynamos will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s result when they came away as 1-0 winners against Pune at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium.Quotes:Good team, good players. Some dangerous individuals. We will expect a difficult game. But we respect every opposition that we will play, there’s no doubt about it. But our focus is on what we could achieve ourselves. We want to dictate how we want to play and hopefully allow the opposition to worry about us: Pune coach David PlattThe first thing I said here is that they are a great team and that’s why they have six points. Statistically speaking, it shows that they didn’t dominate both games but they are the leaders, are they not? Of course they are good: Delhi marquee player-cum-coach Roberto CarlosSquads:FC Pune City: Kalu Uche, Adrian Mutu (Marquee Player), Yendrick Ruiz, Wesley Verhoek, Tuncay Sanli, Didier Zokora, James Bailey, Jackichand Singh, Fanai Lalrempuia, Sushanth Mathew, Manish Maithani, Bikash Jairu, Israil Gurung, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Lenny Rodrigues, Diego Colotto, Roger Johnson, Nicky Shorey, Govin Singh, Gourmangi Singh, Gurjinder Kumar, Pritam Kotal, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Steve Simonsen, Lalit Thapa, Arindam BhattacharyaDelhi Dynamos FC: Antonio Doblas Santana, Sanjiban Ghosh, Ishan Debnath, Thokchom Naoba Singh, Prabir Das, Roberto Carlos [marquee], John Arne Riise, Robert Lalthlamuana, Anas Edathodika, Anwar Ali, Anderson Sebastiao Cardoso [Chicao], Shylo Malsawmtluanga [Mama]. Sehnaj Singh, Souvik Chakrabarti, Hans Mulder, Serginho Greene, Zodingliana Tochhawng, Gunasekhar Vignesh, Florent Malouda, Gustavo dos Santos Marmentini, Seminlen Doungel, Robin Singh, Richard Gadze, Adil Nabi, Vinicius Ferreira de Souza(The match starts 1900 IST and will be telecast on Start Sports 1/HD1/2/HD2/3/HD3)
