ISL 2023-24: Bengaluru faces Jamshedpur FC as battle for ISL playoffs intensifies

Jharkhand, Jamshedpur

A rejuvenated Jamshedpur FC, now coached by Khalid Jamil, will play host to Gerard Zaragoza’s Bengaluru FC at the JRD TATA Sports Complex, in what is expected to be a cracker of an Indian Super League clash, on Sunday.

Both teams head into the tie on the back of close wins, with Jamshedpur having made an impressive comeback despite being two goals down to the Islanders.

The Blues, meanwhile, arrived in Jharkhand with a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC in the bag, with Aussie winger Ryan Williams’ strike the difference on Wednesday.

“It’s an important game, just like any we’ve played. It has been one of the toughest and most competitive seasons, with five or six teams fighting for the sixth play-off spot and with their new coach (Khalid Jamil), Jamshedpur have been doing really well.

It made the semifinal of the Super Cup and claimed a good result against Mumbai City FC earlier on so we are wary of what they can do. As for us, our thoughts aren’t on the sixth place; we are more focused on the opponent and the fixture,” said Zaragoza, speaking to the Media on the eve of the encounter.

The Red Miners jumped straight into the top six having upset the reigning shield winners, only to see the Blues claim its spot a few days on, with the result at the Kanteerava on Wednesday. January signing Nikhil Poojary said he believes the Blues were on the right track

.“The game against Chennaiyin was a good indicator of the kind of football we want to play. The intent was there and we all know that playing beautiful football, like we intend to, is a process that takes time. While we believe we can make it to the playoffs, we address the season one game at a time.

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In a few weeks, the fans will enjoy our football a lot more, and at the same time we are adapting to the ideas of the coach as we have a long way to go,” said Poojary, having made his home debut against Chennaiyin FC

.Incidentally, the reverse of Sunday’s fixture was Zaragoza’s first as Head Coach of the Blues, with Javi Hernandez’s first-half spot-kick the difference in a 1-0 result. As things stand, Bengaluru is sixth on the charts with a point to show over the Red Miners.

With the exception of Dutch midfielder Keziah Veendorp who sustained a knee injury during the Super Cup, the Blues have a full roster available for selection, with Rohit Kumar returning having served a one-game suspension earlier.