FC Pune City face tough task away to Bengaluru
It is always a daunting task for any opponent to visit the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore considering the impressive home record that Bengaluru FC have developed over the years. This season has been no exception as they lost just two games at the venue in the league stage and the two-time I-League winners will be looking to cash in on home advantage once again when they take on FC Pune City in the second leg of their ISL semifinal on Sunday.
The two-time I-League champions will start the game at a slight disadvantage after the first leg encounter in Pune ended in a goalless draw. The lack of an away goal will be a worrying factor for the hosts and they will have to remain constantly alert against the talented FC Pune City attack. They are also facing a number of injury concerns as they will miss the services of Baljit Sahni, Nishu Kumar and new recruit Victor Perez.
However, Bengaluru FC are no strangers to high-pressure matches. They already have two Federation Cup titles and in 2016, they became the first Indian club to reach the AFC Cup final. As a result, coach Albert Roca is quite confident that his players are ready to handle such situations.
“Yes, there is pressure on the team. But these boys have played
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big games before. We have players who have played AFC Cup semi-finals, finals and Federation Cup finals. The intention is to do our best,” Roca said.
On the other hand, this is a completely new experience for FC Pune City. Since the inception of ISL, they have never finishing above the sixth position and their goalscoring records were one of the worst in the league’s history. But, That has changed completely this season with Ranko Popovic’s men showing great character from the start of the campaign.
The two new signings — Emiliano Alfaro (9 goals) and Marcelinho (8 goals) — have been quite impressive throughout the season and thanks to their heroics, FC Pune City were able to reach the play-offs for the first time with one game to spare and the third-best scoring record in the league.
Assistant coach Vladica Grujic, who attended the pre-match press conference in place of the suspended Ranko Popovic, acknowledged his team’s performances in the initial stages of the competition but was quick to point out that they can’t afford to underestimate the hosts on Sunday.
“We have played well this season and our players are quite confident. But, Bengaluru FC are a very strong team and we cannot take them lightly. We are not concerned about the away goal rule right now and we will surely be playing for a win tomorrow,” Grujic told the media.