Bengaluru (Karnataka)[India], November 29 : Punjab FC (PFC) will take the field on Friday against Bengaluru FC in the hope of securing their first victory of the season in Round 8 of the Indian Super League 2023-24 which will be played here at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick off at 8 PM. The league season is restarting after the international break for the World Cup qualifiers.
PFC were denied all three points in their last match against Hyderabad as they were held to a 1-1 draw through an injury-time leveller by Jonathan Moya after Juan Mera had given the home side the lead in the 82nd minute. On the other hand, Bengaluru also were held to a 1-1 draw by NorthEast United FC on Sunday at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati.
Speaking ahead of the game, PFC Head Coach Staikos Vergetis said, "We have faced difficulties in transitioning from the I-League to ISL which is showing in the results. We try to be competitive in all games and not winning a game in the season will only make us work harder and I believe that a win will come soon".
"We had control over the match but we made some silly mistakes that cost us the game and we will have to make sure that we don't repeat the same mistakes in the match tomorrow", the PFC gaffer added while asked about the previous encounter between the two teams in the Hero Super Cup in which Bengaluru prevailed 2-0 at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode.
PFC midfielder and former Bengaluru player Leon Augustine, during the pre-match press conference said, "Bengaluru is my home. After spending 8 years in the Bengaluru FC system, it was a difficult decision for me to leave the club. But it has been a great experience in a new club, I am taking my time to adapt to the new system, new ideology. And hopefully, we'll soon see the results of the hard work we are putting in".
Punjab FC are twelfth on the table with three points from seven matches while Bengaluru FC are eighth on the table with six points from seven matches.
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