Jamshedpur vs Mohammedan: Preview and Prediction
After having contrasting starts to their 2022 Durand Cup campaign in Group A, Mohammedan and Jamshedpur will lock horns with each other at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday at 6 PM IST.
Mohammedan occupy the pole position in Group A after registering a 3-1 victory over Goa in the curtain raiser of Durand Cup 2022. Only two teams from the group of five will qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament and the Black Panthers are one of the favourites to top the group.
Jamshedpur had a lacklustre start to the tournament after losing to a ten-men Bengaluru unit with the final scoreline reading 1-2. The Red Miners, who entered the tournament with their reserve squad, put up a spirited fight against the first team outfit of the former ISL champions but fell short in the end, occupying fourth place as of this writing.
Current Form
After losing the finals to Goa last season, Mohammedan are leaving no stones unturned to win the Durand Cup 2022 this year. Against a young and energetic Goa side, they found themselves 1-0 behind at half-time courtesy of a rip-roaring strike from Muhammed Nemil.
However, the half-time talk from Russian coach Andrey Chernyshov turned the table completely in favour of the Kolkata-based side. Pritam Singh made up for his missed chances in the first half to equalise the proceedings before substitute Faslu Rahman overturned the deficit by combining with Abhash Thapa to overturn the deficit. Captain Marcus Joseph struck the death blow in the dying embers of the game to ensure Mohammedan’s victory.
Jamshedpur was overwhelmed by the regular Indian international players of Bengaluru alongside foreign players like Roy Krishna and Alan Costa as they found themselves on the receiving side of a barrage of strikes. However, goalkeeper Mohit Singh Dhami put a brave face in front of the goal and conceded only one goal at the stroke of half-time as an unmarked Sunil Chhetri gave the Blues the lead through a headed effort.
Roy Krishna doubled Bengaluru’s advantage after the change of halves, however, Jamshedpur got a glimmer of hope later as the Simon Grayson-coached side got reduced to ten men after Hira Mondal was shown a red card. Rishi Rajput made the most of the man advantage to pull one goal back three minutes later but the Red Miners were unable to capitalise on the momentum to succumb to defeat.
Head to Head Record
Mohammedan and Jamshedpur squared off against each other on three occasions in the past in the I-League Second Division although it was against their reserves side. All the time, it was the Kolkata-based side who came out on top, thereby maintaining their perfect 3-0 head-to-head record.
Team News
Faslu Rahman who bagged a goal and an assist in the previous game for Mohammedan may get a nod ahead of striker Rahul Paswan in the upcoming game. Abhash Thapa, who secured an assist for his side by coming on as a substitute in the second half, can take the position of Sheikh Faiaz in the left wing.
Jamshedpur lost their first game in the Durand Cup 2022 but is expected to maintain the same starting line-up against Mohammedan.
Predicted Starting XIs
Mohammedan (4-2-3-1): Sankar Roy; Abhishek Ambekar, Ousmane N’Daiye, Sairuat Kima, Vanlalzuidika; Abhishek Halder, Nuriddin Davronov; Abhash Thapa, Marcus Joseph, Pritam Singh; Faslu Rahman
Jamshedpur (5-4-1): Mohit Singh Dhami; Sandip Mandi, Piyush Thakuri, Kojam Beyong, Saphaba Telem, Aryan Sonowal; Keisan Singh, Phijam Vikash Singh, Vinil Poojary, Hijam Lenin Singh; Lalruatmawia
Prediction
Although both the sides are winless in the Premier League, Leicester head into the encounter as favorites owing to their star power. However, they have been shaky in the back so we anticipate that Southampton would nick a goal or two.