ISL 2020-21: Jamshedpur FC vs SC East Bengal: Preview, Team News, Timings, Live Streaming Info

Goa, Feb. 6: The equation is simple for Jamshedpur FC and Owen Coyle. They are four points away from either of the two playoff spots that they can realistically vie for. And they have five games to make up that gap.

The first of those come when they take on SC East Bengal in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday.

JFC Team News

After a five-game winless streak threatened their chances of making the playoffs, Jamshedpur managed to get back on track with a win over Odisha FC in their previous game. However, coach Coyle will know that they need to maintain that momentum till the end of the season if they are to finish in the top four.

"The lads have worked so hard. Take each game at a time and try to be positive and win the game — that's what we have to do," said Coyle.

The one thing that Coyle appears to have got going for him is his defence. Jamshedpur have now kept three straight clean sheets, a remarkable turnaround considering they conceded eight goals in their previous three matches. But he will need his attack to find form — the winner against Odisha was Jamshedpur's first goal from open play in four games.

The last time these two teams met, East Bengal frustrated Jamshedpur despite being a man down for most of the game. Coyle knows how good Sunday's opponents can be. "The bottom line is that East Bengal are a very dangerous team," said Coyle.

"They have signed a lot of players. By their own standards, they did not perform as well against Bengaluru. So they will be looking to try and win the game and keep themselves in contention. We have to be very respectful of the qualities that they have but also try to impose our qualities. That will be the key to the game."

SCEB Team News

East Bengal, on the other hand, are in trouble. A loss on Sunday will more or less snuff out their playoff chances. They are winless in five games and they have not scored in three of their last four matches. They will also be missing their suspended head coach Robbie Fowler. But assistant coach Tony Grant defended his team's displays in the league so far.

"I don't think it's been tough on the pitch," he said. "When you analyse everything, the team was only put in the ISL at the last minute. We had a two-week pre-season. I think the team has done tremendously."

"We're one point behind Kerala who've had many years to prepare for this year. All the staff and all the players deserve credit for the fight that they have shown and we will carry on showing that fight," Grant added.

Jamshedpur Squad:

Goalkeepers: TP Rehenesh, Pawan Kumar, Niraj Kumar, Raj Mahato, Vishal Yadav. Defenders: Peter Hartley, Stephen Eze, Narender Gehlot, Joyner Lourenco, Laldinliana Renthlei, Karan Amin, Manash Protim Gogoi, Sandip Mandi, Ricky Lallawmawma, Subhash Barua. Midfielders: Aitor Monroy, Alex Lima, Jackichand Singh, Nicholas Fitzgerald, Issac Vanmalsawma, Amarjit Singh, Mobashir Rahman, Jitendra Singh, Manisana Singh, Harsha Parui, Billu Teli, Gorachand Mardi, Gaurab, Bhupender Singh. Forwards: Nerijus Valskis, David Grande, Aniket Jadhav, Sapam Kennedy Singh, William Lalnunfela.

East Bengal Squad:

Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Rafique Ali, Mirshad Michu, Sankar Roy Defenders: Abhishek Ambekar, Anil Chawan, Daniel Fox, Gurtej Singh, Lalramchullova, Mohamed Irshad, Nayaran Das, N Rohen Singh, Novin Gurung, Rana Gharami, Samad Mallick, Scott Neville, Pritam Singh Midfielders: Aaron Amadi Holloway, Anthony, Bikash Jairu, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Haobam Singh, Jacques, Loken Meitei, Milan Singh, Mohammed Rafique, Sehnaj Singh, Surchandra Singh, Matti Steinmann, Wahengbam Luwan, Yumnam Singh Forwards: Balwant Singh, CK Vineeth, Girik Khosla, Harmanpreet Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua

Match Details:

Date: Feb 7

Time: 5:30pm IST

Live on: Star Sports Network

Live Streaming on: Disney+Hotstar VIP, Jio TV

Source: ISL Media