FC Pune City play hosts to NorthEast United FC in the 20th fixture in the Hero Indian Super League at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.
Pune City have been struggling with consistency in the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League and due to this reason they are currently at the bottom of the table.
After drawing their opening fixture against a pretty strong Delhi Dynamos side, they were thumped 0-5 by Mumbai City in the Maharashtra Derby.
Just when things seem to be finally working out for the Hrithik Roshan co-owned side following their unexpected 2-0 win over FC Goa, they again suffered a defeat against a struggling Kerala Blasters side in their last game.
Pune City manager Franco Colomba feels that his side have been inconsistent due to them having to play a lot of matches in a short period of time.
"Playing two games in the space of four days is tough. That has been the case with most of the teams. You need to give the players rest, and as a result, the performance graph has been erratic," the Italian told ISL's official website.
Although Pune City are not the favourites against a pretty strong NorthEast United side, who are yet to record a defeat on their travels, Colomba insists that his side are looking to make amends in this fixture.
"We approach the game as a team should after a loss - that is, trying to regain the right path," he added. "The team feels the need to play a good game. We want to improve on the previous game, where we gifted the goals, by losing concentration. There is a lot of possibility to improve."
Meanwhile, NorthEast United will be hoping to continue their good form on the road following a win and a draw against Mumbai City FC (0-2) and Delhi Dynamos (0-0) in their last two away fixtures.
The John Abraham co-owned side, who are currently third on the ISL table, three points behind leaders Atletico de Kolkata, have exceeded the expectations of everyone as they have managed to do well this season despite them not having a very strong squad.
However, despite their good start to the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League, NorthEast United boss Ricki Herbert feels that his side can do much better.
"We're still a work in progress. I'm pleased that everyone has been contributing and we've played decent football, but we have to continue to do better," the former New Zealand boss told ISL's official website.
Although admitting his side's aim to sit on the top of the ISL table, Herbert insists that his side are concentrating on one game at a time.
"Though that (league leadership) is the aim we have to play well on the given day and try and win the game," he 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 on SuperSport or their online option. Australia viewers can catch the match live on Fox Sports 2 or via their live video option online.
