ISL 2018-19: Coro's absence the talking point as Jamshedpur FC face FC Goa

FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera is banking on his team's collective effort to tide over star striker Ferran Corominas' absence when they take on Jamshedpur FC in the Hero Indian Super League at Jamshedpur's JRD Tata Sports Complex on Thursday.

Last season's Golden Boot winner Corominas has once again been a key for Goa with the Spanish forward currently the joint top-scorer with six goals and four assists to his name.

Ferrando's men started their campaign with victory at Mumbai City but have since endured successive draws against Bengaluru FC, ATK, NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters.

The Jamshedpur-based outfit looked to have broken that frustrating run in the clash against Kerala but two second-half goals from David James' men put paid to all such hopes.

Ferrando's side are one of the four remaining unbeaten teams in the league and will be locking horns with an opponent who have been firing on all cylinders.

Unlike Jamshedpur, Goa started their campaign with a draw against the NorthEast United before registering three impressive wins on the trot.

Lobera's men have been turning heads with their goal-scoring exploits and have already registered 14 of them so far in four matches.

SQUAD: Lobera will have to make do without Corominas' services after he picked up a straight red card in the side's 4-2 win over FC Pune City. This is the first time that the Spaniard will not feature for Goa since he made his debut in the ISL against Chennaiyin FC last season.

"It's a collective effort. It is important to put up a collective effort on the field and get the result," said Lobera.

Jamshedpur FC coach Cesar Ferrando also felt that FC Goa, as a team, are much more than just Coro.

"He is a good player. Goa is good as a team. I didn't have any separate plan for Coro. I am preparing for Goa as a team. If we play as a team, we can win. I am just thinking about my team," Ferrando said.

MANAGERS SPEAK: "I am very happy with the team. I was getting angry during the (Kerala Blasters) game because we committed some silly mistakes. We committed three mistakes against ATK, one against NorthEast as well.

"Blasters missed a penalty in the last game and then during their first goal, we had six players inside the penalty box yet we could not clear," said Ferrando.

Despite that setback, Ferrando will be glad that his star signing Tim Cahill got off the mark in the league with his first-half goal.

"It is a very tough game (against Jamshedpur FC). They are a very competitive team. I know the coach from Spain. I know the style of his coaching. So expecting a very competitive and tough game," said Lobera.

FORM: Jamshedpur started with a stunning victory at Mumbai but have since draw four subsequent matches, mostly despite taking a lead. Against Goa, they will again face the daunting prospect of defending against the team with the best scoring record this season. They can, however, try and outscore their opponents who have a somewhat rocky defence themselves. This should provide Mario Arques, Sergio Cidoncha, Tim Cahill Pablo Morgado plenty of opportunities to get their name on the scoresheet.

Jamshedpur FC have scored eight goals from 17 shots on target so far in the tournament. They have a passing accuracy of 73.98 per cent.

Sergio Lobera’s men have had an excellent start to their season during which they have picked 10 points out of a possible 12. They currently lead the goal-scoring charts with 14 goals. However, the Gaurs will miss their star forward Corominas who picked up a red card against FC Pune City.

The midfield combination of Ahmed Jahouh and Edu Bedia will again be crucial to creating chances. Goa have scored whopping 14 goals from 25 shots on target so far and boast a passing accuracy of 78.22 per cent.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Jamshedpur FC and FC Goa have faced each other twice with the Gaurs winning both the matches.

PROBABLE 11s:

JAMSHEDPUR: Subrata Paul (GK), Robin Gurung, Tiri, Dhanachandra Singh, Yumnam Raju, Mario Arques, Memo, Michael Soosairaj, Farukh Choudhary, Sergio Cidoncha, Tim Cahill (C)

GOA: Mohammad Nawaz (GK), Seriton Fernandes, Chinglensana Singh, Mourtada Fall, Mandar Rao Dessai (C), Ahmed Jahouh, Jackichand Singh, Hugo Boumous, Edu Bedia, Miguel Fernandez, Manvir Singh