NorthEast United square off against Pune City at home in the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium of Guwahati in Match No. 81 of the Hero Indian Super League.
NorthEast United are close to rewriting history by making their first ISL playoff appearance in 5 seasons. A win, which would get them a step closer to the knockouts, will be what Eelco Schattorie wants, especially considering they are playing at home.
After a slight blip, NorthEast United regained their confidence with a 2-0 win against Mumbai City. Placed 3rd on the points table, the Highlanders have 27 points from 16 games and a win at home would be all they require to move ahead in the league.
Pune City, on the other hand, have only pride to play for, but that has not stopped them from putting up scintillating performances of late. In the previous 5 games, the Stallions have registered four victories.
ALSO SEE: ISL Standings | ISL Schedule | ISL Results
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Match Information
Date: 20 February 2019
Kickoff: 7:30 PM IST
Live Stream: Star Sports Network and Hotstar
Live commentary: NorthEast United vs Pune City Live Score | Commentary and Updates
Venue: Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Team News
NorthEast United
Mislav Komorski has been ruled out for the season and has been replaced by Colombian centre back Janeiler Rivas.
Pune City
Marcelinho is suspended after being shown a yellow card for the fourth time this season last time around.
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Probable Lineups
NorthEast United (4-2-3-1): Pawan Kumar, Reagan Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Mato Grgic, Keagan Pereira, Rowllin Borges, Jose Leudo, Lalthathanga Khawlhring Federico Gallego, Pangiotis Triadis, Bartholomew Ogbeche
Pune City (3-4-3): Kamaljit Singh, Sarthak Golui, Martin Diaz, Sahil Panwar, Adil Khan, Marko Stankovic, Diego Carlos, Nikhil Poojary, Ashique Kuruniyan, Robin Singh, Iain Hume
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Form Guide
NorthEast United: W-D-L-W-L
Pune City: W-D-W-W-W
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Head-to-Head
NorthEast United: 4
Pune City: 4
Draw: 1
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Key Players
NorthEast United
NorthEast United's success will have to come from the midfield. The perfect man for this job would be Rowllin Borges. The 26-year-old has 2 goals and 3 assists this season but what has truly stood out has been his passing, with him completing 83% of his attempts. Borges plays box-to-box, helping transition from defence to attack quickly and this would be something Pune City will have to be wary of.
Pune City
Pune City will be aiming to come out all guns blazing from the first whistle. They have a dangerous attacking lineup including the likes of Iain Hume and Robin Singh. Hume, who has proved his worth in the previous seasons and Robin Singh, who has scored 3 goals from the previous 2 games, will shoulder the responsibility of leading Pune's attack.
NorthEast United vs Pune City: Predictions
NorthEast United have a clear upper hand when considering the standings. However, Pune City are in a great run of form and could make life difficult for the Highlanders.
Predicted Score - NorthEast United 1:2 Pune City