Bengaluru: It’s a top of the table clash that few would have envisaged at the start of the season. ISL debutants Bengaluru FC host FC Pune City with the latter bidding to become the second confirmed team through to the play-offs, here at the Kanteerava Stadium on Friday.
With only three games to go in the league stage for both sides, FC Pune City are second on the table with 28 points and already have one foot in the door. A win in any of the three matches — against BFC, FC Goa or Delhi Dynamos — should all but seal a berth in the eliminators for the first time history of the club.
The contest between two in-form sides will indeed prove to be intriguing. The Blues were egged on by manager Albert Roca to win three games on the spin for the first time this season, and have added two more wins to stay victorious in the last five. Meanwhile, the opposition have the best away record in the league — losing only once whilst winning four out of the last five.
The Ranko Popovich-managed unit possess a refreshing blend of young Indian talent and foreign finesse that looks solid at the back and potent up front. The men that warrant attention for the Bengaluru defence will undoubtedly be striking duo Marcelinho (eight goals) and Emiliano Alfaro who have netted 15 out of their 27 goals.
Although the reverse leg was an emphatic come-from-behind 3-1 win for the Blues, Roca knows this will not be an easy game. Pune’s assistant coach Vladica Grujic urged his side to take the positives from the reverse and come away with full points.
New signing
BFC have brought in striker Daniel Segovia as a replacement for injured Braulio Nobrega. It remains to be seen how soon Segovia will be integrated to the squad with AFC Cup and ISL knockout commitments on the horizon. Boithang Haokip and Harmanjot Khabra are also out for the Blues after picking up knocks in the AFC Cup trip to Maldives.
