Pune FC take on Royal Wahingdoh in I-League

Shillong, March 28 : Pune FC will look to maintain their 100 percent record against Royal Wahingdoh when they face the north-east side in an I-League Round 13 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Sunday.

Playing their second away game in a row, third-placed Pune FC (16 points) will also be eager to close the gap at the top and a win will be key as the league enters the final two months. Similarly, fourth-placed Royal Wahingdoh (14) too hope for a positive result to climb up the standings.

Facing the Shillong-based side exactly a month after the first-leg clash at Balewadi Stadium, Pune FC will be hoping to match and improve on the 1-0 win logged that night.

However, the game being played at a much higher altitude won’t be an easy one for Pune FC, who played their last game in Mumbai at sea-level. The cold conditions here will definitely make a difference and coach Karim Bencherifa wants his side to be prepared.

Nonetheless, having arrived in the Meghalaya capital on Thursday, Pune FC has completed a couple of sessions to acclimatise with the surroundings.

“The change in conditions is part and parcel of the I-League. We have to adjust with that. But the game will be a tough one not only because of the weather but also because of the quality of the opposition," Bencherifa said.

“We haven’t played many games with the full squad at our disposal. We have missed players to injuries and national camp. But we have to overcome these situations and I am really looking forward to the young players to step in and take their chance.”

The last time both sides faced off, Pune FC came out on top on a rain soaked chilly night at home. The conditions might be something similar on Sunday with rain being forecast throughout the weekend.

On the team news front, Pune FC have travelled with almost the same team that faced Mumbai FC a week ago, making just one change. While Darko Nikac misses out having suffered an ankle injury, midfielder Ryuji Sueoka returns to the Pune FC line-up.

Meanwhile, Pune FC will continue to miss the trio of Amrinder Singh, Thongkhosiem Haokip and Nikhil Kadam who are all away on national duty.

On the other hand, Royal Wahingdoh come on the back of mixed results. Having suffered back-to-back losses before going into the international break, they resumed action with a 1-1 draw against Bharat FC at home.

The Santosh Kashyap-led side will depend heavily on their overseas contingent of Densill Theobald, Kim Song Yong and Bekay Bewar to lead from the front. Meanwhile, the likes of Jackichand Singh and Godwin Franco will add to the experience.

The hosts will be missing the services of defender Loveday Okechukwu, who will be serving a one game ban for receiving four bookings.