After decimating Mumbai City FC 5-0 at home, FC Goa will be full of confidence when they host a struggling FC Pune City at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Sunday. The Gaurs started their Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 campaign with a 2-2 away draw against NorthEast United FC and followed it up with an away win over against Chennaiyin FC before dismantling Mumbai at home.

Pune, on the other hand, are languishing at the bottom of the table, having picked up only a single point from their opening three matches of the season. The Stallions' solitary point came in their opening match against Delhi Dynamos FC. The team, however, recently had a big change at the helm with the club parting ways with head coach Miguel Portugal and Technical Director Pradyum Reddy taking over as the interim coach.

While FC Goa will be looking for a repeat of their ruthless showing against Mumbai at home, Pune will be hoping for a fresh start under Reddy's stewardship.

FC Goa

The Gaurs have been mighty impressive in the early stages of the league, firing in ten goals and conceding only three. A win on Sunday will see them reclaim their perch at the top of the standings with ten points from a possible 12. Goa have been scintillating to watch going forward and as many as five players have got on the score sheet for the Gaurs. The talismanic Ferran Corominas has hit the ground running with four goals from three matches and seems to be getting better with every match. The striker has had plenty of service and support from the likes of Edu Bedia, Jackichand Singh and Hugo Boumous from the midfield. Ahmed Jahouh has looked like a solid orchestrator in the middle of the park and his ability to create chances out of absolutely nothing from the deep will be a huge plus for Sergio Lobera's side. Lenny Rodrigues has been a solid pivot in front of the defence.

If the first-choice attackers fail to provide the goals, Lobera also has the luxury of turning to the bench for some quality options. Miguel Fernandez came off the bench for just ten minutes against Mumbai to score a brace.

Goa have traditionally been an attacking side in the Hero ISL, but this year, their defence has also looked solid in the early goings. The Gaurs have conceded only three goals this season, two of which came during a 2-2 draw against NorthEast United FC in their opening match of the season. Mourtada Fall, Seriton Fernandes and young Chinglensana Singh have featured in every minute of the Gaurs' matches so far and have looked like a solid unit. Backed by goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz, who is also in good form, the Goa defence will be eager to score yet another clean sheet at home against a Pune side who have struggled in front of goal this season.

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

FC Pune City

The Stallions have endured their worst start to a Hero ISL season since its inception and have only managed a single point and an equal number of goals from their three matches this campaign. Both the goal and the point came in their 1-1 draw against Delhi in their opening match of the season. Pune's famed forward two of Emiliano Alfaro and Marcelo Pereira are yet to show glimpses of their abilities which made them so lethal in their previous seasons in India. The duo has 32 Hero ISL goals between them but hasn't been able to find the back of the net this time around. To be fair, Marcelo has featured for 127 minutes this season, including a start in Pune’s last match against Bengaluru FC, but the Brazilian has looked far from his best. Pune fans will certainly be hoping that the mercurial attacker regains his midas touch soon.

The lack of goals, however, won't be the only challenge for interim coach Pradyum Reddy. Pune's defence, too, has been lacklustre, with the Stallions conceding six goals from their three matches. The side has looked vulnerable dealing with attacks from out wide, and the side backs have been far from convincing. Former head coach Portugal ended up using four different full backs in the first three matches, but it paid little dividends. Reddy will have his work cut out to address the issue going into the match against an attacking Goa side, who have the ability to stretch the play whenever needed.

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

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

FC Goa: Mohammad Nawaz (G), Chinglensana Singh, Mourtada Fall, Seriton Fernandes, Mandar Rao Dessai (C), Hugo Boumous, Ahmed Jahouh, Lenny Rodrigues, Edu Bedia, Jackichand Singh, Ferran Corominas

FC Pune City: Vishal Kaith (GK), Matt Mills, Sahil Panwar, Jonathan Vila, Sarthak Golui, Adil Khan, Nikhil Poojari, Martin Diaz, Ashique Kuruniyan, Emiliano Alfaro (C), Marcelo Pereira

DID YOU KNOW?

• FC Goa have scored 53 goals under Sergio Lobera since the start of last season.
• Ferran Corominas has scored a goal after every 65 mins this season, whereas, the FC Pune City players have scored a goal after every 897 cumulative minutes.
• FC Goa have conceded 5 goals and scored 4 goals against FC Pune City at home.

FANSPEAK

Which superstar striker will help his team bag a win?

• Ferran Corominas
• Marcelo Pereira

Have your say in the comments section below.

Catch the match live on the Star Sports Network, Hotstar and Jio TV from 7:30 PM.