New Delhi: Punjab FC would hope the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium turf doesn’t turn out to be the bigger opponent when they host Chennaiyin FC in an Indian Super League clash in Delhi on Thursday.
Diljit Dosanjh’s two-day Dil-Luminati music concert on Saturday and Sunday had damaged the turf, leaving Punjab with the task of mending the pitch on war footing.
Punjab confirm the venue was in a state of huge mess after the conclusion of the concert and needed extra attention to be ready for the match as a big stage erected over the pitch for the dancers to perform had dried up the grass and made the surface uneven.
Sports Authority of India had received criticism for renting out the stadium for the concert in the midst of the ISL and assured that the stadium main arena would be in “top shape” to host the match.
“The turf has been restored to match playing condition before the Diwali game,” SAI had said in a statement on Monday.
But still it needed continuous watering, rolling and spraying of fertilisers from Punjab in the intervening days between the match and concert to make the grass lively and even out the surface thanks to which the turf is in a much better state now on which the home team would look to dominate Chennaiyin.
The hosts now hope players don’t suffer any injuries because of the ground.
Strong start by Punjab
With three wins in four matches, Punjab have made a bright start to the campaign with nine points putting them at the fourth spot in the standings, two slots above Chennaiyin, who two wins and two draws from five games.
The visitors have had an up and down start and coach Owen Coyle would demand greater consistency, having won two of their three away games so far. CFC are unbeaten on the road, with two wins and a draw in their three away games.
#DiljitDosanjh‘s #enlightened concert has left the #JLN stadium’s grass dry and surface uneven, 3 days before #PunjabFC‘s #ISL game vs #ChennaiyinFC
(✍️: @SayanMukherjee4)#IndianFootball #diljitconcert #DiljitDosanjhconcert @IndianFootball @Media_SAI
— News9 (@News9Tweets) October 28, 2024
Punjab coach Panagiotis Dilmperis would take note of that and try to prevent Lukas Brambilla from setting up Wilmar Jordan and Daniel Chima Chukwu in front of goal.
Jordan traded Punjab for Chennaiyin in the transfer window, his burly presence is a handful for defenders.
When they go forward, Punjab would need Filip Mrzljak to be in his elements as he has been their most consistent performer, making intelligent runs into the box to catch defenders unaware.
Coyle would surely study how Bengaluru kept silent the Croat silent in Punjab’s 0-1 loss in their last game and would think hard on how to stop conceding.
“We have done well on our travels this year and we want to do that again,” the 58-year-old British coach said.
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