PUNE, Nov 17: Pune FC wouldn’t get any better chance to get to the top and they have ONGC to thank for after the Mumbai FC team beat defending champions Dempo FC in New Delhi on Friday.

Though fan support is yet to swell as much as the team would like to, but when Pune FC take on Air India in the Round VI match on Sunday evening, the Derrick Pereira side will be eager to score the home win after having scored morale-boosting away win against Pailan Arrows last week.

“In Pune, we have our strength in our very vocal supporters. It makes a huge difference in building confidence. And we hope that our twelfth man - the fans, come out in numbers on Sunday,” said Pereira.

Air India is at the bottom of the standings, but that should not sway Pune FC’s game-plan.
“They are a side known with fighting spirit,” the Pune FC coach reminds.

Air-India themselves have a point to prove. They are desperate to log points and move up the table, anxious to open their goal scoring account at Balewadi, their home base till Cooperage in Mumbai gets approval. Air-India has lost both their matches at Balewadi without scoring.
That is a good sign for Pune FC.  “More than what their team is all about I would my boys to improve upon their performance. They have the capabilities and need to push hard and do better than the past games,” said Pereira.

“I feel so far we’ve done well to reduce mistakes. And have done so considerably well as the league has progressed.”

“Playing in our conditions and under floodlights is an advantage. But overall every match is important.”

Pune FC has the luxury of picking the team from entire set of players with every player in good shape and without injury. After an evening practise session the coach joked, “For this match choosing a team will be a challenge.”

Only midfielder Shanmugam Venkatesh, who is recovering from a hamstring injury and is yet not 100 per cent fit to play, but Pereira has lots of choice to pick from.

“All are fighting to get in which is good for any coach,” he explained. With a job on hand it will be interesting if Pune FC continue with the winning squad that played in Kolkata.

Pune FC, meanwhile, in last 2 seasons have a good record against Air-India: unbeaten in 6, with 4 wins and 2 draws. Although it wasn't always easy for Pune FC against Air-India in the 2009-10 season when the Mumbai side won 3 out of the 4 games played.

With both teams set to meet for the 11th time, Pune FC looks to complete a Mumbai sweep (having beaten ONGC and Mumbai FC earlier) and ensure regional dominance. Likewise, the hosts will also like to keep the goals coming, having scored 2 goals in each of the last 4 encounters against Air-India.

Interestingly, five current players in the Pune FC squad have managed to score past Air-India in the past. The players include, Arata Izumi (2), Jeje Lalpekhlua, Othallo Tabia, Chika Wali, apart from Venkatesh.

For striker Subash Singh and medio Sukhwinder Singh the rivals will be familiar. Subash, in fact made his name as a striker at Air-India.

The visitors have in their ranks local Pune-lad, striker Prakash Thorat, along with experienced midfielders Micky Fernandes and long-serving Vijith Shetty to look up to. The attack boasts Nigerian duo of long serving Henry Ezeh and Elijah Junior.