FC Goa eyes the top spot on the Indian Super League (ISL) table as it hosts Jamshedpur FC in a highly anticipated contest on November 27, Monday, at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa.
The Gaurs, which was the toppers of the league points table till Saturday night, dropped back to second place after Kerala Blasters secured a 1-0 win over Hyderabad FC. Manolo Marquez’s side will be motivated to bag all three points to climb back to the summit.
The FC Goa head coach expressed his optimism about the upcoming game.
“It’s very early (to say where FC Goa will finish their league campaign, in terms of points or position on the points’ table), because even the table is not balanced - some teams have played only four games and we have played five so far, while some others have completed seven matches.
“That said, it’s better to have 30 points than 3, 5, 7 or 12. It’s hence very good to have started with four wins and a draw, but still we’ll have to play a total of 22 games in the league stage,” Marquez said during the pre-match press conference on Sunday.
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Despite Goa’s brilliant start to the season, the Spanish tactician is warry of Jamshedpur’s solid defence. “Right now, we’re focused on Jamshedpur FC alone. If you look at their numbers, you’ll know that while they haven’t scored very often, they haven’t conceded many, either. They conceded three goals in their most recent match, but otherwise, it’s never been more than once,” he added.
“Jamshedpur are very good tactically, and it’s very difficult to enter their defensive third. But we’ll have 90-100 minutes to try and win this game, so let’s see,” concluded the 55-year-old coach.
On the other hand, Jamshedpur FC will be playing its seventh league game of the season, and will be looking to move adobe the bottom three with a positive result. Scott Cooper’s side has only managed to score four goals in its six matches so far.
It will aim to close the gap between itself and the teams currently in the playoff spots and to set a tone for the remainder of their campaign.
Historically, the Goan side has an advantage over Jamshedpur FC, having won 9 out of 17 previous encounters.
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