Indian Super League leaders Atletico de Kolkata take on FC Pune City in the 24th fixture of the inaugural competition at the Salt Lake Stadium.
After a bright start to the Indian Super League, Atletico de Kolkata seem to have become complacent as they have only managed to record draws in their last two fixtures against Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin FC.
They are still at the top of table, with three win, three draws and no defeats from their opening six fixtures.
However, Kolkata's top position in the ISL is being threatened by Chennayin FC, who will displace the Sourav Ganguly co-owned side if they manage to record a win in their next fixture against NorthEast United.
Due to this reason, Atletico defender Arnab Mondal insists that side are not going to rest their laurels when they face Pune City on Friday.
"We plan to finish the first half of the tournament being on the top of the table, so if we draw tomorrow and if Chennaiyin FC win their next two matches and go to the top of the table, then, that would be a mental setback for us. So we want to win tomorrow and finish at the top," the centre-back told ISL's official website.
Kolkata will be boosted by the return of Ethiopian striker Fikru Teferra, who was suspended for two games after being found guilty of headbutting Gregory Arnolin during their 2-1 win over FC Goa.
And Kolkata central midfielder Ofentse Nato feels that his side will be benefitted by the striker's return as he feels that Fikru adds an "extra dimension" to their attack.
Meanwhile, Pune City will be hoping to build a good run of form, following their 1-0 triumph over NorthEast United FC in their last fixture.
The Hrithik Roshan co-owned side have been very inconsistent this season, failing to maintain a winning streak in their opening five fixtures.
After ending their first ISL fixture against Delhi Dynamos on a goalless draw, Pune were thrashed 5-0 in the Maharashtra derby by Mumbai City, before recording their first win of the tournament against FC Goa (2-0).
They again slumped to a unexpected 1-2 loss against Kerala Blasters, before again recording a surprising 1-0 win over NorthEast United.
And, Pune's on-loan striker Dudu Omagbemi feels that his side have been inconsistent due to their manager Franco Colomba experimenting with the squad and the players having communication issues.
"Different players played in different positions, so there were some problems with the communication amongst the players, but we have been trying to get used to each other for quite a while now and we had a good outing in our last match," Omagbemi told ISL's official website.
Now Pune, who have chosen not to risk their marquee signing David Trezeguet in the injury prone artificial pitch at the Salt Lake stadium, face a tough game against Atletico de Kolkata on Friday.
Still, Omagbemi, who is no stranger to the Salt Lake stadium, having played there regularly with his I-League side East Bengal, insists that Pune City are ready for "any challenge" at Kolkata.
"We are ready for any challenge. We have been practising together and trying to understand each other's game," the Nigerian added.
Where to Watch Live
The ISL match is scheduled for a 7 pm IST (2.30 pm BST, 9.30 am ET) start with live TV coverage in India provided by a lot of channels including Star Sports 2,Star Sports HD2,Star Sports 3, Star Gold,Asianet Movies, Suvarna Channel and Jalsha Movies. Viewers can also watch the ISL match via free live streaming online on Starsports.com.
US viewers can live stream the action on FoxSoccer2go, while Europe viewers can catch the action live on Eurosport or their online Player. Middle East and North Africa viewers can watch the game on Bein Sports or via live streaming on Bein Sports Connect.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa audience can catch the ISL match live onSuperSport or their online option. Australia viewers can catch the match live on Fox Sports 2 or via their live video option online.
