Bengaluru FC (BFC) will hope to shake off the disappointment of a heart-breaking late home defeat against Chennaiyin FC when it takes on Jamshedpur FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Thursday.
“It is important to react,” coach Albert Roca said on the eve of the match. “At home we should not concede more points. We are trying to do our best and are hoping that things will be better than last time around.”
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But in Jamshedpur, Roca's men are sure to face as tough a challenge posed by Chennaiyin. The club may lie sixth in the table to BFC's second (as of Wednesday afternoon), but managed by Englishman Steve Coppell, it has conceded just once in five matches.
Coppell even indicated that he will take a cue from the way Chennaiyin suffocated BFC though he will miss the services of star defender Anas Edathodika for the fourth game running.
“From day one, I think we concentrated on having a solid foundation as I would call it,” said Coppell. “We work quite hard on our defensive structure. We are also mindful of not being prolific in front of goal (one goal in five matches). We need to improve and I hope it will happen as the games progress.”
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Roca, with a packed schedule in mind, had shuffled his team for the previous match, which also included the decision to bench forward Udanta Singh. But against Jamshedpur, he is sure to return to what will be his first-choice eleven.
“I hope the fresh legs coming from the bench will help us,” said Roca. “They are a tough team. They play a very plain and English style, which is always difficult to control. They don’t take risks. But I have to respect the football they are playing and to beat them will be a good win for us.”
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