New Delhi: Hosts FC Pune City will be eyeing a winning start to their Indian Super League 4 campaign against Delhi Dynamos in Pune on Wednesday.
Both teams have new coaches at the helm with Pune manned by Ranko Popovic and Delhi mentored by Miguel Angel Portugal.
Popovic said playing at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex won’t be much of an advantage.
“I don’t think it is an advantage. If you want to win, you have to play well both home and away. Yes, at home we’ll have more support to win all three points. But that doesn’t change the way we’ll play,” he said on Tuesday.
“We have had enough time to prepare. The players are excited. I hope we’ll be able to do what we want to,” the Serb added.
Pune have beaten Delhi only once in their six ISL encounters, and Popovic will be keen to improve on that record, having coached with varying degree of success in Spain and Thailand.
The 50-year-old has considerable firepower at his disposal. Last season’s top scorer Marcelino, who made the switch from Delhi to Pune along with Kean Lewis, will be the ones to watch out for.
For Delhi, it’s all about building on from last season. They reached the semi-final playoffs in two of the tournament’s three editions, but are yet to reach the final.
Portugal’s chief aim will be to guide the team to the title. For that he stressed on the need to start well. “This first match is the test for what is my team is capable of. I think the competition is very balanced. Anyone can win it,” he said.
Delhi have lost some key players from last season, but have brought in suitable replacements with Nigeria’s forward Kalu Uche and Dutch striker Guyon Fernandez being the most prominent.
