FC Pune City recently bagged their first victory of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 season with a 2-1 triumph over Jamshedpur FC and will look to maintain the momentum when they host NorthEast United FC at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Tuesday. NorthEast, too, will go into the fixture with their tails up after their sensational come-from-behind victory against Kerala Blasters FC in their last match.

The two teams have faced off on eight occasions in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) in the past, with Pune winning four and NorthEast coming out on top thrice.

FC Pune City

The Stallions endured a horrendous start to their Hero ISL 2018-19 season, drawing two and losing five of their first seven matches of the season. Their eighth match against Jamshedpur, however, marked a welcome change for Pune after they picked up their first victory of the season courtesy a late goal from defender Matt Mills. One of the key factors behind the long-awaited victory was the return of ace striker Iain Hume in the squad. Hume came on as a second-half substitute against Jamshedpur and was instrumental to the Stallions' late charge to grab the winner. Brazilian Marcelo Pereira, who has looked out of sorts in Pune's first few matches, also started showing glimpses of his old self after Hume's introduction.

Hume is a proven goal threat in the Hero ISL and his inclusion in the squad has been a huge boost for Pradyum Reddy's men, who struggled to score goals in their first few matches. The Canadian's presence on the field against NorthEast may turn out to be a big factor on Tuesday's match and it will be interesting to see if Reddy opts to start with Hume in his starting XI.

Pune have one of the worst defensive records in the league, having let in 17 goals. The Stallions' defence has failed to keep a single clean sheet this season and are the only team with the unsavoury record to their name. The likes of Matt Mills and Gurtej Singh will have to up their game if they are to keep out a very capable NorthEast attack featuring Bartholomew Ogbeche and Federico Gallego.

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

NorthEast United FC

Eelco Schattorie's NorthEast have been the most improved side this season. The Highlanders endured a torrid time last season and finished bottom of the league table with just 11 points from 18 matches. Such has been their transformation this season under Schattorie that NorthEast already have more points and wins than they had in the whole of last season. The team has already equalled their goal tally from last season with 12. Seven of these 12 goals have come from Bartholomew Ogbeche, who has been sensational for the Highlanders this season. His partnership with Uruguayan Federico Gallego up front has been the focal point of this NorthEast team, which seems well on their way to ensure a top-four finish. Substitute Juan Mascia's blitzkrieg in the last match against Kerala also proved that Schattorie has some game changers on the bench if his two first-choice attackers fail to make their mark on a match. 

Another big factor playing in NorthEast's favour against Pune will be their away form. Three of the Highlanders' four wins this season have come on the road. A win for the Highlanders against Pune will also put them either at the top or in the second position of the table, depending on the result of Monday's match between Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos FC.

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

PROBABLE LINE-UPS:

FC Pune City: Kamaljit Singh (GK), Gurtej Singh (C), Matt Mills, Ashutosh Mehta, Adil Khan, Ashique Kuruniyan, Robin Singh, Marko Stankovic, Marcelo Pereira, Diego Carlos, Iain Hume

NorthEast United FC: Pawan Kumar (GK), Reagan Singh, Mato Grgic, Mislav Komorski, Keegan Pereira, Rowllin Borges, Jose Leudo, Redeem Tlang, Federico Gallego, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Bartholomew Ogbeche (C)

DID YOU KNOW?

• Out of the 12 goals scored by NorthEast United FC this season, 5 goals have come in the last 15 minutes of the match.
• 10 of the 17 goals conceded by FC Pune City have come in the first-half.

FANSPEAK

Which star striker will have the biggest impact?

• Iain Hume
• Bartholomew Ogbeche

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