New Delhi, November 22: The Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 action returns from international break with an exciting encounter between two teams whose charts are on the upward trajectory – with Punjab FC and NorthEast United FC locking horns at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on November 23, at 5:00 pm IST.

Both these teams had narrowly missed out of qualifying for the playoffs last year, with the Highlanders finishing seventh and Punjab FC trailing them at eighth. However, they have turned a new chapter this time around – starting the season on a strong footing, with NorthEast United FC positioned third with 12 points thanks to three wins and as many draws from eight games.

Punjab FC, on the other hand, have secured four victories in six clashes and claim the sixth spot in the standings. They will hope to brush aside any rustiness after the two-week-long break and rejuvenate the campaign with similar vigour and vehemence come Saturday.

Punjab FC’s NEUFC track record & defensive discipline

·       Punjab FC hold an unbeaten record over NorthEast United FC, winning and drawing once in their two matches against them. They had notched a 1-0 triumph over the Highlanders in their most recent fixture. A clean sheet in this match will see the Highlanders become only the second team after Hyderabad FC against whom Punjab FC go back-to-back games without conceding a goal.

·       Speaking of clean sheets, a key factor swinging things in the favour of Punjab FC is that they have conceded the fewest shot attempts (65) and shots on target (20) in the current ISL campaign. Thereby, they have given away only seven strikes in total, winning thrice in their previous five encounters.

NorthEast United FC’s attacking flair

·       NorthEast United FC have recorded the best differential between expected goals (11.95) and actual goals scored (19) in ISL 2024-25 (+7.05 xG value). Their 19 strikes after eight games is five more than their previous-best tally after these many matches (14 in 2018-19). At the heart of all of this has been Alaaeddine Ajaraie, who has scored 11 goals and made four assists in eight appearances.

·       The Highlanders stand at an unprecedented stage right now, since they have netted multiple goals in each of their previous three ISL matches. However, they have never scored 2+ strikes in four straight away encounters in competition’s history – something that they can achieve tomorrow if their frontline comes to the fore perfectly tomorrow.

Coach’s Corner

“We have all the players ready for this match”

Punjab FC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis expressed that his team is going into the match with significant preparation and added that they have all the players ready and fit for the game.

“We know how we should work and we have done it in the previous days with a lot of concentration and focus to adjust ourselves to the demands of the next game. We have managed. We have all the players ready for this match,” Dilmperis said.

“We are getting used to winning points from difficult situations”

NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali said that his team is getting used to overcoming difficult situations and mentioned that they aim to maintain control over large chunks of the game.

“We are learning. We are getting used to winning points from difficult situations. We hope that we don’t stop at the 65-70 minute mark, which is why we have scored so many goals late into the game. A football match is a collection of a lot of small games and we need to control most of them,” Benali said.

Head-to-Head

In two matches thus far, Punjab FC have emerged victorious once whereas one game resulted in a draw.

Key Players & Milestones

·       Ajaraie and Punjab FC’s Luka Majcen have made a goal contribution once in every 42.5 minutes and 45.3 minutes respectively in ISL 2024-25, the most often and second most often among all players this season. Their consistency in delivering the goods upfront in a relentless manner is helping their teams find immediate solutions through some cohesive offensive endeavours.

·       Punjab FC’s Suresh Meitei (7.7) trails only Liston Colaco (9.1) in terms of the most progressive carries made per game this season. His tendency will help the team drive attacks forward and push the opposition back to help them dictate the flow of the proceedings.

·       Punjab FC’s Nikhil Prabhu has been a standout defender for them in the current campaign. With his 18 interceptions, he follows only Mourtada Fall (20) in that regard this season, and the home team will bank on him to cut down attacks and regain possession with his exceptional game-reading awareness.

ISL Fantasy

Alaaeddine Ajaraie (8.6cr) from NEUFC has bagged 76 ISL fantasy points in 2024-25

Nikhil Prabhu (5.1cr) from Punjab FC has earned 32 ISL fantasy points in 2024-25

Indian Super League is being streamed live free on JioCinema (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam) and telecast live on Sports 18 — 3 (English, Hindi, Bengali and Malayalam), Asianet Plus (Malayalam). Additionally Sports 18 — 1, Sports 18 — 2 and Sports 18 — Khel is also telecasting select ISL matches LIVE.