Matchday 16 of the Indian Super League will see Jamshedpur take on East Bengal at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Thursday from 7:30 PM IST.
Jamshedpur has had a renaissance of sorts since the appointment of Khalid Jamil. They made it all the way to the semi-final of the Kalinga Super Cup, and have been undefeated in their 5 league games since the January break.
Their most notable win has undoubtedly been the 3-2 triumph against Mumbai City away from home a few match days back. Currently placed 6th on the table with 17 points from 16 games, the Red Steels have scored the third-highest goals in the league so far this season with 21 strikes to their name.
East Bengal on the other hand, had a topsy-turvy return to action since their Kalinga Super Cup victory in Bhubaneshwar. The Red and Gold Brigade have lost 2 games, won 1 and drawn 1 match in the league since their date with destiny.
Head coach Carles Cuadrat will know that a victory against Jamshedpur will go a long way in securing the final playoff spot for his side as the Torchbearers are currently in the 8th spot with 15 points from 14 games.
Current Form
Jamshedpur will be overflowing with confidence coming into this titular clash, having thrashed Punjab 4-0 away from home in the last match week. Daniel Chima Chukwu, Mohammed Sanan, and Jeremy Manzorro came clutch in Delhi and Jamil will be expecting them to come good against the Torchbearers too. Manzorro especially has been on song lately, scoring 3 goals in their last 4 games.
East Bengal is coming into the game having picked up three vital points away to Hyderabad in their last fixture with captain Cleiton Silva delivering the goods again. They flattered to deceive against the Nizams but the Red and Gold Brigade will be grateful for the victory as it came on the back of successive defeats to Northeast United and Mumbai City.
Head to Head Record
Across all competitions, the two sides have faced each other 8 times. The 2021-22 Shield Winners have picked up 2 wins, while the away side has 3 victories to their name so far.
They last faced each other in the semi-final of the Kalinga Super Cup 2024, which saw the Torchbearers pick up a 2-0 win thanks to strikes from Hijazi Maher and Javier Siverio. In the league, the two sides played out a drab 0-0 draw in Kolkata when they last met in September.
Team News
Javier Siverio would be keen to face his old side
Jitendra Singh and Javier Siverio will both be available for Jamshedpur, having served their suspensions in their last game. Jeremy Manzorro, Nikhil Barla, and Alen Stevanovic need to be wary of suspensions though, as the trio is on 3 yellow cards. As of now, there is no major injury news so Khalid will likely pick an XI based on training performances.
For East Bengal, new signee Aleksandar Pantic comes in to replace the injured Jose Pardo, who is out for the season. Lalchungnunga and Naorem Mahesh Singh will be available for selection having served their bans in the last clash, while Hijazi Maher will face suspension if he picks up one more yellow card against Jamshedpur.
Predicted Starting XIs
Jamshedpur (4-2-3-1): Rehenesh TP; Nikhil Barla, Pratik Chaudhari, PC Laldinpuia, Muhammad Uvais; Elson Jose Junior, Jeremy Manzorro; Mohammed Sanan, Javier Siverio, Imran Khan; Daniel Chima Chukwu
East Bengal (4-2-3-1): Prabhsukhan Gill; Mohamad Rakip, Hijazi Maher, Lalchungnunga, Nishu Kumar; Souvik Chakrabarti, Víctor Vázquez; Nandhakumar Sekar, Cleiton Silva, VP Suhair; Felicio Brown
Prediction
At home, Jamshedpur has displayed tenacity and skill and can comfortably outplay any team on their given day. Given East Bengal’s inconsistency of late, it is likely that the home side will emerge with a favourable result.