Kolkata (West Bengal)[India], December 9 : Punjab FC (PFC) are confident ahead of their face-off against Kolkata giants East Bengal FC in Round 9 of the Indian Super League 2023-24 which will be played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 8 PM. PFC had played their first ever ISL match in this same stadium against Mohun Bagan Super Giant which they lost 3-1. The Shers will look to have their fortunes turned this time around while facing East Bengal.
PFC put in a wonderful display against Bengaluru FC in the previous encounter but could not come away with a win as they were held to a 3-3 draw at the Shree Kanteerava. On the other end East Bengal will take the field, high on confidence beating NorthEast United 5-0 in front of the home fans.
Speaking ahead of the game, PFC Head Coach Staikos Vergetis said, "It's good to be back in Kolkata. In the last game, my team played much better than the previous matches and I am very happy about that but there were some mistakes and we lost two points. These mistakes make us more mature and better for the upcoming games. East Bengal has very good players and I believe that the position of East Bengal in the table is not appropriate and I am sure they try to change things out but we are also ready with our plans. We as a team try to correct our mistakes and weaknesses and improve as a team. We have a lot of youngsters who are playing in the ISL for the first time and we are trying to improve our players as individuals also".
PFC defender Suresh Meitei during the pre-match press conference said, "There is obviously a difference between I-League and ISL. ISL is very fast and we practice and focus on keeping these things in mind. We always remember that we are here in ISL by becoming the I-League champions. Every player in East Bengal is good and overall they are a good team. We are expecting a very tough match and we will play to the best of our capabilities tomorrow".
Punjab FC are 11th on the table with four points from eight matches while East Bengal FC are eighth on the table with eight points from seven matches.
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