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After registering an emphatic victory over Mumbai City FC, FC Pune City today prepare to host NorthEast United FC who rather had a disappointing start to their campaign. It would be an interesting battle as both the teams had the same score line in their last match, only difference being that the home team won their opening match 3-1 while the visitors lost 3-1.
NorthEast United must be super cautious of FC Pune City’s threatening attacking third as the experience of Turkish Tuncay Sanli and the energy of youngster Israil Gurung seems to be combining really well. The duo were present during all the three goals Pune scored against Mumbai.
They will also need to upgrade their defence tactics, as they conceded 3 goals in span of 23 minutes the last time out.
The visitors would rely a lot on the attacking duo of Silas and Nicholas Velez as they showed signs of fruitful partnership last time, although they did fail to convert their opportunities.
Kick Off Time and Telecast
Live Telecast: StarSports 1,2 StarSports HD1, HD2
Live Stream: starsports.com
Date and Time: Monday, 9th October 2015 – 1900 IST
Venue: Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune
Live Updates on Sportskeeda
Team News
The home team will again be missing their services of their key Indian players Pritam Kotal, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Jackichand Singh, Pronay Halder and Bikash Jairu, courtesy India’s World Cup Qualifier against Turkmenistan, which they lost 2-1 yesterday.
However, this should not be a worry for tactical genius David Platt as young Gurung filled in really well in his last appearance with 2 assists and a goal. “It’s sad they’re missing, but I’ve already planned the time without them,” sad Platt. “I wasn’t aware of Bikash’s absence. As a coach, it’s tough, but I’m delighted for him with regards to representing the country.’’
Pune has no injury issues with Adrian Mutu recovering well and is expected to feature prominently in the match.
As for NorthEast United, Ceser Fairas will again miss the services of marquee player Simeo Sabrosa while the new worry for the team is Miguel Garcia, who was stretchered off the pitch in the last match. If sources are to be believed, Garcia, who is very key to NEUFC’s defence, will be assessed pre match and fans would definitely be hoping for him to be included in the starting XI.
Speaking in the pre-match conference, Farias said: “Not everybody is available, but that’s no excuse going into this game. We are preparing ourselves to beat anybody and we will approach this like we do in the same way with everyone, to win,”
Another concern for NorthEast United is it’s midfield as it lacks organization. The wing play in their first match wasn’t at all satisfactory with Silas failing in his attempt to deputise for Simao.
Sanju Pradhan however, did show a few promising moves, but he needs to create a lot more if his tean wants to compete against a formidable Pune line-up.
The managerial encounter in the match will also be interesting as Platt will focus on controlling the match with a high percentage of ball possession, while his counterpart, Farias, will try put on a brave face and will attempt to break into the host team’s defence.
Probable Line Ups
FC Pune City (4-5-1)
Steve Simonsen, Lenny Rodrigues, Gouramangi Singh, Diego Colotto, Gurjinder Kumar, James Bailey, Didier Zokora, Manish Maithani, Israil Gurung, Tuncay Sanli, Nicky Shorey
NorthEast United FC (4-3-3)
Rehenesh TP, Reagan Singh, Cedric Hengbart, Siam Hanghal, Seityasen Singh, Bruno Herro, Sanju Pradhan, Silas, Nicholas Velez, Kamara, Boithang Haokip
Key Battles
Israil Gurung vs Siam Hanghal
Gurung will be the main player for NorthEast United to really look out for after he scored a spectacular goal and registered two assists in his previous match. The best quality of Israil is his ability to carve out spaces, which he demonstrated perfectly in FC Pune City’s the third goal against Mumbai.
Hanghal, who initially played as a holding midfielder for NorthEast United, took Garcia’s position when he walked out of injury. He is very key in holding their defence and watching out for playmaker Gurung will be his foremost task.
Nicholas Velez vs Pune Defence
The entire FC Pune City defence should take a note of this Argentine as he has the ability to run past any formation and score. We got a glimpse as to what he is capable of in the previous match against the Kerala Blasters, and this time around he will surely bring out a lot more of it on the pitch.
Prediction
FC Pune City as of now seems to have larger chance of getting the better of NorthEast United. Considering the performances of both the teams in their previous matches, it’s very likely that the home team will convincingly defeat their opponents.
Pune City 3-1 NorthEast United
Betting Odds (bet365)
FC Pune City: 11/10
NorthEast United: 23/10
Draw: 5/2
