Team Herald
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PANJIM: FC Goa will lock horns with Jamshedpur FC in their first Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 clash, with the Gaurs aiming to extend their dominance over the Red Miners on Tuesday, September 17, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, at 7.30 pm.
FC Goa ended the previous season in third position and missed out on a top-place finish by just three points. Under Manolo Marquez, the Gaurs will be determined to start their season with a win, like they have done on past five occasions..
Jamshedpur FC, under Khalid Jamil, would want to defeat FC Goa, a team against which they haven’t won in their previous four outings. The Red Miners are currently on a two-game losing streak, and another defeat would extend this poor run, reminiscent of their four-game losing streak last season.
"I will be taking things one game at a time,” FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez who refrained from looking too far ahead at this point of the season.
"I will be taking things one game at a time. It's not a good thing to think too far ahead. Most of the opponents have a very different style. We need to approach the game correctly. We will be starting from zero and have to do the correct things to win the match for sure," Marquez said in the pre-match press conference.
Sandesh Jhingan, who spent most of the previous season on the sidelines due to injury, is back and wants to win the ISL Trophy this time. He is one of the leaders in the FC Goa contingent and would want to lead the backline, partnering with Spanish defender Odei Onaindia.
“Everyone who is participating in the ISL dreams of silverware. FC Goa missed the Shield last season for three or four points. We will be favourites in a way this season, that's our target. But it's a long season and sometimes you don't win a league with three points. I have lost leagues for goal difference too,” he said ahead of the clash.
'We need a good start'
Khalid Jamil has the reputation of taking NorthEast United to the ISL playoffs in the past and would want to replicate the same at Jamshedpur FC. With a squad blended with experience and youth, Jamil has the best opportunity to prove what a homegrown coach can do.
He stated, “We need a good start. Without a good start it will be difficult. Enough preparation is there. We need to now perform with confidence and players must take their own responsibility because it won't be easy. We must maintain that and think positively.”
"We have begun well with the pre-season training and we are confident heading into the new ISL campaign. Against FC Goa, we will try to put our best foot forward to start the season positively," Jamshedpur FC goalkeeper Amrit Gope said in the pre-match press conference.
Key Players
Odei Onaindia will be guiding the FC Goa backline against Jamshedpur FC. Last season, he registered 94 clearances, third to Dimitrios Chatziisaias (103) and Hijazi Maher (101). His partnership with Sandesh Jhingan creates a formidable wall, making it difficult for opposition forwards to breach the Gaurs’ backline.
Javi Hernandez, Jamshedpur FC’s new creative force, is poised to make his 100th ISL appearance this season. With 21 goals to his name, including two against FC Goa, Hernandez is set to play a key role as both creator and scorer for the Men of Steel.