Pune FC will be up against familiar foes when they host Salgaocar FC in an I-League Round 15 encounter at the Shree Shivchhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi on Tuesday.

Playing their second game in four days after being held to a 1-1 draw by Bharat FC in the first-ever Pune Derby on Saturday, Pune FC will face Salgaocar for the fourth time this season. Earlier, both sides faced off thrice in the Durand Cup final (November), Federation Cup group stage (January) and the I-League opener (January).

Interestingly, all these three matches were played on Goan soil and it will be the first time Pune FC will play Salgaocar outside the coastal state this season. Moreover, having failed to register a win in all three games, Pune FC will be fired up to get the result at home.

However, Coach Karim Bencherifa will want his side to be cautious against a strong Salgaocar side led by ex-Pune FC Coach Derrick Pereira.

“There was hardly any time to think about the last game. As soon as the final whistle blew, we started thinking about this game because we had just two days. However, we had a discussion to highlight a few things from the previous game that we need to improve and work on. At the same time, we also worked on the positives from the game. Every game is a tricky one in the I-league due to the competitiveness and we need to be prepared,” said Coach Bencherifa on the eve of the clash.

Salgaocar FC (14 pts) currently in the 5th place in the table just three points behind fourth placed Pune FC (17 pts), and thus the game carries added significance as both sides will look to improve their positions.

Furthermore, having earned just two points in the last three games after the international break, Pune FC will be looking to shrug off their poor run and get back to winning ways. With the big game against East Bengal coming up this weekend, Pune FC will hope to get the most out of the Salgaocar game to carry forward the momentum.

Speaking about the visitors, Coach Bencherifa added, “Salgaocar is a team that likes to play football and are known for their fair play like us. The three games that we have played against them in this season have all been closely fought. Tomorrow, it won’t be any different and we are looking forward to a good match.”

On the team news front, Pune FC will be missing the services of medio Dhanpal Ganesh. The Indian international played every single minute in all competitions this season and misses out having been sent off late on in the previous game against Bharat FC. Nonetheless, the squad will be boosted by the return of medio Arata Izumi who is back after serving his one match suspension for receiving four yellow cards.

Meanwhile, Portuguese winger Edgar Marcelino will be a doubt for the game having been substituted early on with a hamstring injury in the previous round. Apart from a couple of long term absentees, the rest of the team is fit and will be available for selection on matchday.

On the other hand, Salgaocar FC comes into the game one the back of a mixed run of results. The Goans have lost thrice and won twice alternatively in their last five games with the latest being a defeat to Mohun Bagan in Kolkata.

Going into the game, Salgaocar will depend heavily on playmaker Douhou Pierre. The ex-Pune FC man returns to the Balewadi Stadium to face Pune FC for the first time since switching sides at the start of the season. The Ivorian will be joined by another former Pune FC defender Gurjinder Kumar who too will be making his return to the Balewadi Stadium.

Apart from Douhou, the likes of Daryll Duffy, Francis Kasonde and Khaled Hasan will form the spine of the team while Rocus Lamare, Subrata Paul and Augustine Fernandes will add to the experience.

Over the years, both sides have faced off fifteen times and share six wins each. However, this fixture also boasts an interesting stat with the away side logging more wins than the home side in the I-League; and in five games at the Balewadi Stadium, Salgaocar have logged three wins compared to Pune FC’s one. Thus a win on the morrow is extremely vital for Pune FC who look to set the record straight.

The game kicks off under floodlights at 19.00 IST on Tuesday.