ISL: Bengaluru FC aim to bounce back against Jamshedpur

Bengaluru, Dec 20 (IANS) Bengaluru FC are keen to return to winning ways when they host Jamshedpur FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) season four fixture at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.

Bengaluru FC lost their position at the top of the table for the first time after they were stunned by Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa.

Three teams are at the top of the table with 12 points each and Bengaluru FC coach Albert Roca has called for a strong reaction from his side against Jamshedpur FC.

"It's important to react and at home we cannot concede more points. The players know how important is a victory after the last result. We hope things will be better than the last time," Roca said during the pre-match media interaction on Wednesday.

Despite the setback, Roca said he has not lost faith in his team or players although there are indications that he will revert to his strongest possible combination after making six changes against Chennaiyin FC.

"We trust our brand of football and we have no doubts about the way we play," said Roca, who will have to count on his team's skills from set-pieces to pierce through Jamshedpur's miserly defence.

Jamshedpur FC have six points from five matches and are placed sixth on the table, but they have one of the strongest defences in the league. They have conceded just one goal thus far, and although they have also scored only once, coach Steve Coppell knows his team is on the right track.

"From day one, we concentrated very much on having a solid foundation. We worked quite hard on our defensive structures. We are not prolific up front. We have to improve," said Coppell, whose team lost their previous game against FC Pune City, their only loss in the league.

Jamshedpur FC will fancy their chances of taking something out of this game, if not full points, which will take them to the top half.

Asked what their approach would be, Coppell admitted he has a tough task on hand but was encouraged by what Chennaiyin FC did in their previous match.

"I suppose we will approach this game in a similar way to Chennai. The coach made five or six changes for the last game and showed he has the confidence, depth and quality within the squad.

"It just shows that Bengaluru have the deepest squad within the ISL at this stage. This is a great challenge for us. Chennai came here and were successful and we hope to do the same," said Coppell.