Jamshedpur, Oct 4 (PTI) Reeling from three straight defeats, East Bengal will seek to rejuvenate their campaign under interim coach Bino George when they face a confident Jamshedpur FC in the ISL on Saturday.
After the resignation of Super Cup-winning coach Carles Cuadrat following the team’s disastrous start to the season, East Bengal are in desperate need of points to lift themselves from the bottom of the table.
This match marks the Indian coach’s first assignment at the helm, and he is determined to instill belief in his players.
“I have full faith in our players and their quality. They have been working very hard. Yes, the last three matches didn’t go our way, and we made some mistakes. But I know the boys can come back stronger. That’s what East Bengal is all about. They know their responsibilities well,” George said.
In contrast, Jamshedpur FC heads into this match with momentum, having not lost to East Bengal in their last three encounters, including a 2-1 victory in February.
Despite this encouraging trend, the ‘Men of Steel’ are yet to secure back-to-back wins over their Kolkata rivals in the ISL.
Jamshedpur’s head coach Khalid Jamil remains optimistic despite their recent loss to Odisha FC.
“Every match is an opportunity to grow, and we are ready to give our best effort to secure a positive result,” Jamil said.
East Bengal’s captain, Cleiton Silva, is the highest goal-scorer in this fixture with three goals as he will be eager to break his scoring drought, having gone without a contribution in his last four ISL appearances.
Jamshedpur forward Jordan Murray has emerged as a big competitor, consistently contesting over 10 duels in each of his last six matches.
East Bengal’s goalkeeper Debjit Majumder has been impressive this season, averaging 3.4 saves per game.
However, with only three clean sheets to his name, he will need to elevate his performance to thwart Jamshedpur’s attacking threats.
The two teams have faced off eight times in the ISL, with Jamshedpur claiming three victories, East Bengal two, and three matches ending in draws.
Match starts 5pm IST. PTI TAP APA APA APA
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