Ludhiana: Kolkata giants East Bengal will square off against former champions Punjab FC in a Hero I-League match at the Guru Nanak Stadium here on Saturday.
Punjab FC have not had a great outing against Churchill Brothers FC Goa, where they went down by a scoreline of 3-0.
Playing their first match at home, Punjab FC will be under immense pressure as they are without the services of captain Anwar Ali, who was sent off in the match against the Red Machines.
Defence may be an area of concern for Punjab Head Coach, Yan Law, as they were left exposed against Churchill Brothers.
The coach will also be concerned about the finishing and chance-creation of the team as they go up against an immensely attack-minded opposition.
"We had a disappointing result against Churchill Brothers on the opening game of the season," Yan Law said.
"According to stats, the game was played evenly, we actually had more chances than the opposition, but failed to convert any as the Churchill defence held us well. Our lapse in defending in the midfield and attacking third caused us problems in the defending third."
He, however, reposed faith on his team.
"We have worked on all the problems, analysed everything in detail where things went wrong, and the boys are pretty confident for the next game against Quess East Bengal at home.
"This season, our team has good depth in the squad. We have good players who will be making their way into the team in the next game, and some major tactical changes have been made as Anwar Ali is missing from our defence."
Quess East Bengal, on the other hand, will be disappointed with a 1-1 draw at home in their last game against Real Kashmir, considering the fact that they dominated the match with 64 per cent possession, and had the lion's share of chances.
Their Spanish imports looked sharp in midfield but lacked the killing instinct and failed to conjure-up three points in front of 11,000-odd strong home support.
Quess East Bengal Gaffer, Alejandro Menndez, however, maintained that last game's result will not change his team's approach.
"We have prepared the team in the same way as the first game. We promise good football and a good game. The idea is to approach the game in the same way and try to score as many goals as possible," said Menndez.
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