It’s been a dramatic season for Owen Coyle and his men so far – some power-packed performances on the pitch to quarantine to then coming back up again to number 2, the team has been through it all.
Jamshedpur FC would like to put up a stellar performance when they lock horns with an in-form Bengaluru FC at GMC Stadium in Bambolim, Goa on Saturday evening.
The club has secured the 2nd spot with 22 points (12 matches, 6 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses). The best thing is that the Men of Steel have played two matches less than table-toppers Hyderabad FC (26 points, 14 matches, 7 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses). Kerala Blasters FC is placed third with 20 points (12 matches, 5 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses).
Bengaluru, on the other hand, is placed 4th with 20 points (14 matches, 5 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses).
"It does not surprise me to see Bengaluru FC elevating themselves up the league table recently. We drew the last time we played against them and I said before and after the game that they were a very good side with an outstanding coach. The team has always worked very hard and that is pretty evident in their performances. Bengaluru have some wonderful players, but so do we and I am looking forward to a very good game against a very strong team with amazing players. We will be ready for the game and really looking forward to going toe-to-toe against Bengaluru," said JFC head coach Owen Coyle.
On the team’s character despite the obstacles faced in the season, he said, "We know about the character, the desire and the quality that we have and that is why we are at this position at this moment. But what we want to do is seize the job through and we know we have some games left to play, so we want to capitalize in those games to get as many points in the bag, and we have the opportunity to attain those points and be the team at the number 1 position. We’re obviously on a winning run with 3 back-to-back wins and we want to move ahead trying to aim to make it 4 heading into a tough game against Bengaluru FC. The lads have been through all the trials and tribulations and they earned themselves a real credit."
Owen added that Danial Chima Chukwu, who scored a debut goal while turning out for Jamshedpur in the previous outing versus FC Goa, is a terrific footballer who has always shown his qualities. "Chima is certainly a great addition to the squad and it is great to see the quality that he has," Owen said.
On injury concerns, the head coach said Jordan Murray missed out on the last game due to Covid and has now picked up an injury as well along with the other 4-5 injury concerns in the team.
