Key Points
Punjab FC desperate to break seven-match winless streak
Team needs strategic offensive improvements
Critical match for playoff qualification
Defensive challenges must be addressed
The Shers currently have 20 points from 16 matches and with a match in hand, a win will see them get closer to the other teams in the playoff races. On the other hand, The Blues have 28 points from 18 matches.
Sharing his thoughts during the pre-match press conference, defender Ivan Novoselec said, "All the previous results are in the past and personally I don't care about them. Right now, we are not in the best position but we are still alive and in the race to achieve our target finishing in the top six. We are currently down below other teams but we need to chase the clubs that are in front of us and achieve our target. It's time for me and the other players to show more character and show what we really are. And let's say we need warriors and fighters for the upcoming games that are in front of us starting tomorrow."
Punjab FC went down to Jamshedpur FC 1-2 in a tight encounter on Tuesday at home while Bengaluru FC suffered a defeat to table toppers Mohun Bagan Super Giant by a solitary goal on Monday at Kolkata.
Speaking about the match, PFC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis said, "Everybody in the team knows about the advantages and disadvantages of Bengaluru. They are a really good team with a great coach and some key players on the field who have a certain way of playing the game. We will try to address all the issues that they might try to cause us and we will also make sure that we create as many as we can. Hopefully, during this game, we will manage to hold a clean sheet or at least score more goals than the opponent".
Punjab FC have been creating plenty of chances in the final third but haven't been able to convert them into goals. Luka Majcen with six and Ezequiel Pulga Vidal with five goals are on top of the goal-scoring charts along with Asmir Suljic and Filip Mrzljak who have scored three each. The offensive form of Pulga Vidal, who scored a wonder goal in the last fixture, and the in-form Asmir Suljic will be critical for the team's attacking prowess.
"I think it's really not good to say that we create chances and do not score all the time. It is like forcing an excuse by saying that we are unlucky. As a matter of fact, luck goes with strong guys. So it is obvious that we have to do something more about how much we will give in the game. We have to do more running and be more aggressive, focused, have more concentration, and also believe and support each other," said Dilmperis while addressing the question about the form of the team and the lack of scoring after creating chances.
The Shers have conceded 23 goals this season, 15 of them coming in the last seven games but their defensive record have been excellent in this season. Nikhil Prabhu, Tekcham Abhishek Singh, and Suresh Meitei are among the top five for interceptions in the league with 45, 34, and 29 respectively.
"In football, it is normal to make mistakes, but we need to work on that. I think the mistakes might be due to the problem of self-confidence with some players. I have also made mistakes that I should not do. This is the right time to fix this and change our mindset and I hope that from tomorrow till the end of the season, we will improve that and get positive results," Ivan added about the mistakes that have been costly this year.
On the other hand, Bengaluru are reliant on their captain Sunil Chettri for goals as the former national team captain has scored 11 this season, the third-highest in the league. The next best record is Ryan Williams with five goals. Bengaluru edged past Punjab FC 1-0 in the reverse fixture in October at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium with Naorem Roshan Singh scoring the winner. With the playoffs race getting tighter, Punjab FC will look to shake off their recent run of form and get all three points to turn their season around.
