FC Pune City will look to keep their chances of making it to the playoffs alive when they host the unbeaten Jamshedpur FC at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Wednesday. The Stallions have had a terrible start to Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 and are languishing in the bottom of the table with just two points from seven matches.

Jamshedpur FC are unbeaten this season but have only managed two wins and five draws in their seven outings so far. They are in a respectable fourth spot in the table and will look to solidify their position with a win over their out-of-form opponents. However, their head-to-head record against Pune isn't quite in their favour. The Stallions beat Jamshedpur in both their meetings last season.

FC Pune City

Pune’s interim coach Pradyum Reddy will hope his team can regroup and make a fresh start after the international break to put some much-needed points on the board. The team will, however, need to do it without Uruguayan striker Emiliano Alfaro, who has joined ATK on a loan deal. On the flipside, the Stallions will be boosted by the inclusion of Hero ISL's all-time top-scorer Iain Hume to the squad. Alfaro's departure paved the way for Pune to register Hume for the rest of the season.

The Canadian forward signed on the dotted lines for Pune before the season started but wasn't included in the squad due to a knee injury. Hume was expected to return around January but seems to have made a speedy recovery and may be in the scheme of things against Jamshedpur. Given Pune's situation, Reddy might be tempted to throw Hume in up front to partner Marcelo Pereira but is more likely to start him from the bench considering his lack of match fitness. Reddy will also have midfielder Marko Stankovic back from injury for the match.

A big worry for Pune this season has been in the defence, which has failed to keep a single clean sheet so far and has conceded 16 goals – the most by any team this season. Reddy will certainly have worked with his defensive players during the international break to address the issue.

Here’s a look at Pune’s current season in numbers:

Jamshedpur FC

Along with Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur are the only undefeated side in Hero ISL 2018-19. However, they have managed to win only two of their seven fixtures. A big concern for Ferrando going into the tie will be the absence of some of his strikers. Gourav Mukhi, who is under suspension pending a hearing by the AIFF Disciplinary Committee, is certain to miss the match. Tim Cahill, who was involved in Australia's friendly against Lebanon on Tuesday, will also be unavailable. Sumeet Passi was a part of the Indian squad which travelled to Jordan for the international friendly on November 18 and was one of the seven players who were stranded at the Kuwait International Airport for 32 hours due to heavy rains. The young striker will be available for the match against Pune, but fatigue may play a factor.

Jamshedpur, however, will still be a strong unit going forward. As many as ten different players have scored for the Miners this season. Sergio Cidoncha has been brilliant so far and has been well-supported by the likes of Michael Soosairaj, Mario Arques and Memo. Head coach Cesar Ferrando will also look to fine-tune his defence, which is prone to leaking late goals. Five of the nine goals Jamshedpur have conceded this season have come in the second-half.

Here’s a look at Jamshedpur’s current season in numbers:

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

FC Pune City: Kamaljit Singh (GK), Gurtej Singh (C), Matt Mills, Lalchhuanmawia Fanai, Martin Diaz, Adil Khan, Jonathan Vila, Marko Stankovic, Sarthak Golui, Ashique Kuruniyan, Robin Singh

Jamshedpur FC: Subrata Paul (GK), Tiri (C), Pratik Chowdhary, Bikash Jairu, Robin Gurung, Mario Arques, Pablo Morgado, Memo, Michael Soosairaj, Sergio Cidoncha, Farukh Choudhary

DID YOU KNOW?

• Jamshedpur have never won against Pune in the Hero ISL.
• If Hume makes an appearance, he will become the only foreign player to feature in all five editions of Hero ISL.
• Out of the 9 goals conceded by Jamshedpur this season, 5 goals have been conceded in the second half.

FANSPEAK

Which coach will emerge victorious?

• Pradyum Reddy
• Cesar Ferrando