After incessant rains lashed the city for three days following Pune FC’s first match against East Bengal, it looked as if Air India were going to have their second consecutive match abandoned due to rain. But after tremendous effort put in by the ground staff and match commissioner Franco Miranda’s encouraging words Pune football fans can expect a thrilling ninety minutes of action on Thursday evening.

After an inspection of the ground conditions on Wednesday Miranda, was optimistic about getting a full game on Thursday. “The overall greenness of the ground is there. There are some slight patches that need covering up but I have been assured that the problem will be solved by Thursday morning”, he said.

He was also happy with the development of the ground in a short span of time. “Considering the fact the ground is newly laid, and has not been used for football before, it is holding up well. I have instructed the ground staff to repair the minor glitches in long gap after tomorrows match. If this is done the ground will be up to standard,” he said.

Air India coach Bimal Ghosh feels that his team is at a major disadvantage because his team has not had a single practice session on this ground. “This ground is difficult to get used to and since we have never played on it we will not have the judgment of the ground”, he said.

He also felt that even though Pune FC will have the advantage of the ground and the vociferous crowd support, his team will hold the edge over his opponents because of their recent 2-1 victory in the IFA Shield. About particular players he said, “We will be keeping a close eye on Edmar. I am sure our robust Iranian defender Benham Reza will be able to match up to him physically. We will miss Nigerian striker Okoro Gor as he has not yet been cleared to play.”

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