April 03, 2026 06:56 pm (IST)
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U19 I-League: Pune FC aim to seal qualification; face PIFA Colaba FC
Pune, Jan 22 (IBNS): Pune FC aims to seal qualification to the final phase when they take on PIFA Colaba FC in an Under-19 I-League Round-7 encounter at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai on Friday.
The game is an important one for second-placed Pune FC (13 pts) as a win over bottom placed PIFA Colaba (2 pts) will seal their spot in the final round while also taking them closer to leaders DSK Shivajians (16 pts) in the zonal round.
Coming into the game after ending leaders Shivajians’ unbeaten run, Pune FC will carry forward the momentum going into the clash against PIFA.
Moreover, having recorded a massive 7-1 victory over PIFA in the home leg last month, Pune FC will be motivated to chase a similar scoreline on the morrow. However, Coach Naushad Moosa wants his team to stay focussed on the job at hand and seal progression to the next round as a priority.
“The performance against PIFA in our home leg where we won 7-1 will definitely boost our morale, but I don't want our players to get complacent. I have been stressing on need to take this away game against PIFA seriously ever since the win against Shivajians,” said Coach Moosa after a training session at the Pune FC Training Pitches in Mamurdi on Thursday.
Since their last win, much has changed in Pune FC’s fortunes. Shivajians’ who felled to Pune FC, dropped two more points with a draw against Mumbai FC at home. As a result, Pune FC does have a great opportunity to top the table if they get maximum points from their remaining two games.
“It is very important for us to give a winning performance tomorrow,” added Moosa.
Ahead of the game, Pune FC will be banking on the strike-duo of Farukh Choudhary and Arif Shaikh who have been in fine goalscoring form in the U19 I-League as well as the recently kicked off PDFA Super Division League.
With their last visit at the Cooperage yielding six goals, Pune FC will be eager to match that tally against a PIFA defense which has conceded the most goals (20) in the zonal round.
On the team news front, Pune FC will be missing services of a couple of players - Chesterpaul Lyngdoh (Injury) and Dimple Bhagat who has travelled home for personal reasons. However, the rest of the squad is fit and will be available for selection.
The game kicks off at 5.15 PM IST under floodlights on Friday.
First Leg: 29/12/2014 – Pune FC 7-1 PIFA Colaba FC at Pune FC Training Pitches, Mamurdi
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