Pune, Delhi keen to keep form going

by Chittu Shetty February 23, 2019

FC Pune City and Delhi Dynamos FC have been on an upward trajectory of late and will be keen to maintain their unbeaten runs going into their penultimate Hero ISL clash

Pune have been the in-form team in the league and head into the clash on the back of a six-match unbeaten run. After a disastrous start to the campaign, the Stallions have turned their fortunes around in remarkable style and now stand a chance to mathematically finish as high as fifth in the league.

Former Hull City boss Phil Brown has overseen two victories and as many draws in his four games in charge with his counter-attacking style reaping dividends. “We do a lot of hard work, study the opposition, work out how they love to play, their strengths and weaknesses. We know one or two things that Delhi do well. We also know one or two things that Delhi don’t do well. So hopefully that will be an important factor in the game and result,” said Brown.

The likes of Marcelinho, Robin Singh, Iain Hume and Marko Stankovic have been thriving under the Englishman and should pose plenty of problems for the Dynamos. Delhi head coach Josep Gombau was mindful of the threat Pune’s attack carried. “Pune is a team that has done really well since Christmas. They have a very good attack and they have been scoring a lot of goals. It will be a tough challenge defensively for us,” said Gombau.

However, Pune do have a concern as they will have to make do without the services of tough-tackling midfielder Adil Khan who has been suspended for this tie. Delhi, meanwhile, are on a resurgence of their own under Gombau with the capital-based side coming into the clash on the back of a five-match unbeaten run.

The Dynamos were excellent in their last outing where they came from behind to beat league leaders Bengaluru FC 3-2. New arrival Ulises Davila scored his first goal while young forward Daniel Lalhlimpuia was impressive with a late brace.

A top-six finish looks to be out of the reach for Gombau’s men after a dismal first half of the season but they will be desperate to keep their winning momentum going and finish the season on a high before the start of the Super Cup.

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