Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
FATORDA: Excitement and enthusiasm are guaranteed when in-form FC Goa and Punjab FC lock horns in the Indian Super League match on November 6, at the Nehru Stadium, here, at 7.30 pm.
There are few stronger factors than a confident collective team in football and both these sides seem to possess that after their recent results. FC Goa will come into this match with renewed confidence after snapping a four-game winless home run with a commanding 3-0 victory over Bengaluru FC. Meanwhile, Punjab FC are in exceptional form, having won five of their last six matches.
Punjab FC are third in the table after 12 points from five games this season – thanks to four victories already, an incredibly positive feat for a team only in their second season in the competition. For the Gaurs, the outcome against the Blues held massive significance, since their campaign required a stimulant boost and they got that courtesy of sweeping aside a team that had barely put a foot wrong in the competition until then.
The Gaurs have scored 12 goals from inside the 18-yard box in ISL 2024-25, the most such strikes by any team in this term. Armando Sadiku (6) and Borja Herrera (4) have joined hands to hammer 10 of them, showing relentless efficiency from close distances. Punjab FC will have to be wary of letting the Gaurs’ frontline get too close to their defensive unit, since their cohesion and interlinking in close spaces could cause the visitors troubles at the back.
One of the key reasons behind FC Goa’s assuring yet dominant performance over Bengaluru FC was that they didn’t let the Gerard Zaragoza-coached side settle into the proceedings. The Gaurs forced 16 high turnovers (winning the ball back within 40 metres of the opposition’s goal) – the most by any team in an ISL game this season. Punjab FC will have to slick and swift in their passing sequences to ensure FC Goa do not win possession and embark on offensive endeavours from dangerous positions.
FC Goa have had the upper hand against Punjab FC in the ISL, remaining unbeaten in their two previous encounters. The two teams have faced each other twice in the league. FC Goa have won once, whereas the other game resulted in a draw.
FC Goa head coach Manolo Marquez shared insights about how he deals with unfavourable results, saying that he prefers staying positive regardless of the game’s outcome.
“In my experience as a coach, you cannot be too negative or pessimistic if the team doesn’t do well. Obviously you can be angry, but I don’t see much difference between the top teams and the teams below (in the table),” Marquez said.
Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis expressed that he isn’t overly concerned with adapting to FC Goa’s gameplay, and insisted that his team will instead compel the home side to mould their playing style in the coming match.
“We will not adapt to them (FC Goa’s playing style). We will press them to adapt to us. We don’t care how they play against other teams. We only care how other teams play against us,” Dilmperis said.
Both Punjab FC and FC Goa will be relying on their bankable marksmen - Luka Majcen and Armando Sadiku, who have averaged a goal every 30.3 and 71 minutes respectively in the ISL 2024-25.
Their ability to convert chances into goals consistently helps their team get an edge in contests. Sadiku has scored in six consecutive ISL games – with only Kalu Uche (8) and Alaaeddine Ajaraie (7) scoring in more games on the trot in the competition’s history.