Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC (OFC) would like to start their campaign on a positive note when they face Jamshedpur FC (JFC) in their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the JRD Tata Complex, Tuesday. The Odisha franchise came into existence after Delhi Dynamos shifted their base and rebranded themselves.
It will be a fresh start for OFC head coach Joseph Gombau, as he was with Dynamos last year who finished eighth in the 10-team table. But with a new atmosphere and a new city, the Spanish coach would like to continue his project with the young squad at his disposal to deliver better results on the pitch.
Joseph Gombau’s biggest asset from last season Lallianzuala Chhangte joined Chennaiyin FC but the presence of Daniel Lalhlimpuia, Jerry Mawhmingthanga and Nandhakumar Sekar in the forward line will help Odisha pose a threat on the break.
“Last season is over. Now we start a journey at a new club in a new city. A lot of players are the same and I think we have a good squad. All the signings are done to improve the squad and I think we have a complete team,” Gombau said at the pre-match press conference at Jamshedpur, Monday.
Gombau’s team like to keep the ball, and against JFC, they are up against a team that also love to hog possession. It should make for an intriguing battle in midfield where the likes of Vinit Rai and the seasoned Marcos Tebar will play key roles for OFC.
On the other hand, JFC are coming into this season after finishing fifth in the last two editions. But with new coach Antonio Iriondo at helm, things are likely to change for a reason.
“We will try to defend when they attack us. But our goal is we would love to have the more ball possession in 90 minutes than our opposition. For us, the most important thing is to make our fans happy with our style of play,” Iriondo said ahead of the clash.
While a number of players left JFC, they have boosted their strike force with CK Vineeth besides roping in Francisco ‘Piti’ Luna and Noe Acosta while managing to retain star players Memo and Tiri.
PNN
