Jamshedpur FC will look to continue its winning streak when it faces a doughty NorthEast United FC in an away Indian Super League (ISL) match here on Saturday.
The Jamshedpur side is placed second on the table, having accumulated 12 points from five games, and the host has managed only five points from as many contests and is positioned 10th.
But beyond those contrasting numbers, the Highlanders have remained unbeaten in their previous two fixtures against the Red Miners.
Meanwhile, scoring a goal in this match will mark NEUFC’s joint-longest goal-scoring streak against JFC, having done so earlier between January 2021 and February 2022.
But JFC has also been taking risks up front, as indicated by its passing accuracy of 57.1% in the opposition’s half this season.
The number also proves that it has been creating chances in the final third, allowing it to score 10 goals until now.
Its possession rate of 36.2% is the lowest in this ISL, but it allows it to play fearless football by letting the opposition dominate with the ball before launching their counter-attack.
NorthEast head coach Juan Pedro Benali played down the talk that his team is under pressure after managing just one win in its last five games.
However, he stressed on the need to improve its defence.
“There is no pressure on us. But, we are hungry. I don’t look at points, but I look at the goals scored against us. Two goals against us per game is too much,” Benali said on the eve of the clash.
“We need to decrease that and if we do so, then we will automatically do well as we are one of the teams to have scored the most goals this season.”
On the other hand, Jamshedpur head coach Khalid Jamil said his team is desperate to finish on a high.
“Everyone is doing well. All the focus is on tomorrow. We have a vital game coming up,” Jamil noted.
“NorthEast United FC have a very good coach and a good mix of Indian and foreign players. They are overall one of the best teams in the ISL,” he added.
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