FC Pune City head into their home game as a confident unit as they prepare to face NorthEast United FC on Friday at the Balewadi stadium with the hope of winning back-to-back matches in the ongoing second edition of the Indian Super League (ISL).
Pune defeated Mumbai, while their opponents, NorthEast United FC, who lost against Kerala Blasters, need to lift their game to another level if they are to have any hope of registering their first three points of the season.
Both teams possess some dangerous players, who can play an integral part in helping their team register three points. With high-profile Indian stars away on national duty, foreign recruits from both the team need to come out all guns blazing and entertain the crowd at Balewadi stadium.
Let's look at some key players from both teams - FC Pune City and NorthEast United FC.
FC Pune City: Tuncay Sanli: The fortunes of Pune City this season, to a large extent, are going to depend on the performances of Tuncay Sanli, who hit the ground running straight away by scoring a brace. Though Tuncay scored both goals with his head, he has very neat footwork as well, hence one should not be surprised to see some skilfull goals from the former Turkey international. Apart from his goalscoring abilities, which he brings to the game, his experience of playing in some of the best leagues in the world will help Pune.
Gouramangi Singh: The tall Indian defender, who was once a crucial member of the Indian team, has a very good footballing brain, which he needs to put into use on Friday. Gouramangi, who can brush off players with his physical game, will also look to score goals from set-pieces, as he is very good in the air as well.
North East United: Nicolas Velez: Players from Agrentina possess a special knack of scoring goals and this Argentinean also belongs in the same bracket as was witnessed in NorthEast United's opener against Kerala Blasters, where he was troubling the Kerala defenders with his skills. His efforts paid dividends as he found a consolation goal for NorthEast. Velez, who was one the brighest players for NorthEast against Kerala, will test Pune's defence.
Sanju Pradhan
With Sanju Pradhan, one thing is fpr sure, the midfielder will give it his all in order to help his team turn victorious. Pradhan is a great dribbler of the ball and this skill of his could particularly come in handy with players such as Simao and Nicolas Velez in their lineup, as they can finish the ball neatly in the back of the net when an opportunity arises.
