FC Goa holds the future of Jamshedpur FC in the ongoing Durand Cup 2021. The Group B match on Friday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharti Stadium in Kolkata is an important for Jamshedpur as it faces tough challenge against the mighty Goa FC to stay in the hunt for Durand Cup.
Both Army Green and Jamshedpur FC are vying for second place in this group. Both teams have the same three points. But With a goal difference of 0 goals, the Army Green team has the upper hand over Jamshedpur's -1.
If Jamshedpur beat FC Goa with a good goal difference, they can qualify for the knockout stages. But, the Jamshedpur team will also have to focus on the match between Army Green and Sudeva Delhi on Friday.
If FC Goa beat Jamshedpur and Army Green lose to Sudeva Delhi. Army Green will advance to the next round. In the head-to-head match, Army Green defeated Jamshedpur 3-1 in the semi-finals. Even if the match is tied, the Army team will continue to move.
ISL preview
On the eve of the match between Jamshedpur and Goa, Red Miners coach Noel Wilson said,
"Goa is surely the strongest opposition this tournament and it makes it even more important for my players to get the experience as well as to know where they stand. It is a unique opportunity for our young boys as, at their age, not everyone gets a chance to play an ISL team. I hope the youngsters make the most of this opportunity and try to get a good result as well."
FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando has ruled out much experimentation in the match. He said, "No, we don't look to experiment too much as this is our pre-season preparation and it is the time to work in a certain way. Of course, we will have different plans as we will be playing a different opponent but it isn't the right time to experiment."
"We watched their match against Sudeva and despite having young players they are a very good team. They control the spaces, they work according to plans and are a difficult team to break down.
Anyway, it is good for us in pre-season because it is important to control the spaces, control moments of the game and in the positional attack. I think it is a good time to play against them because surely it will be difficult and I hope we take the best decisions on the pitch." Ferrando added.