ISL 2020: FC Goa take on Jamshedpur FC in mid-table clash

Being ambitious teams, they would like to start the process of moving up when they face each other at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Wednesday.
FC Goa players during a training session. (Photo | ISL)
FC Goa players during a training session. (Photo | ISL)

KOCHI: While Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan have been the pace-setters in the Indian Super League this season, FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC have been sitting mid-table. Being ambitious teams, they would like to start the process of moving up when they face each other at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Wednesday.

FC Goa had high expectations after they topped the league phase last season. Jamshedpur, on the other hand, staged a coup of sorts by roping in Owen Coyle, who guided Chennaiyin FC to the final last season.
Jamshedpur go into the game with momentum on their side, having beaten NorthEast United in the previous game. The Highlanders were unbeaten until that point, but Coyle's team managed to find a way to break them down as young Aniket Jadhav scored the winner.

FC Goa would look to bounce back from two successive defeats. "Our focus is on the present, to think about the next game against Jamshedpur. Of course, I'm so sad about the last two results (defeats against ATK Mohun Bagan and Chennaiyin), but it's not possible to change the past," said FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando in a pre-match interaction.

The Spaniard suggested that lack of time between matches was a factor in their defeat against Chennaiyin. "We need to forget the last game to play the next game. We were not ready to play against Chennaiyin. We had three days and this time we will be ready."

As for Coyle, things are falling into place as the season is progressing. After losing to ATK Mohun Bagan in their opening game, they are unbeaten in their last six games. Some of their key players are returning, with influential midfielder Aitor Monroy available after suspension.

"It's always nice when you have a quality player like Aitor coming back. He's a wonderfully gifted player, a very good professional and sets a great example to the younger players. When you have those players available, that always helps the team," said Coyle.

After snapping NorthEast's unbeaten run, the Red Miners are high on confidence, but are also wary of the threat posed by FC Goa who play an attacking style of football. "We have to be at our best from the first minute to the last against FC Goa. They have some wonderfully talented players. They can cause problems. We have to make sure that we solve those problems and look to give them problems of their own. We know that if we continue in the form we are in, we are real challengers for three points," said Coyle.

The game will also see the current top scorers going up against each other. Jamshedpur's Nerijus Valskis and FC Goa's Igor Angulo lead the scoring charts with six goals each.

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