Punjab FC v Odisha FC: ISL 2026-27 season opener — confirmed lineups and pre-match notes
Punjab FC will start their 2026-27 Indian Super League campaign against Odisha FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on 14 October, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 PM IST. Confirmed starting lineups for both sides have been released ahead of the season opener.
Punjab used the IFA Shield as their principal pre-season preparation, reaching the semi-finals under manager Pavlos Dermitzakis. They were eliminated after a goalless draw, losing 4-3 on penalties to Mohun Bagan SG. Coach Dermitzakis deployed his new signings during the tournament, with Raphael Messi Bouli scoring three goals. The club’s listed foreign contingent includes Alfred Planas, Raphael Messi Bouli, Patrick Bahanack, Mickaël Malsa and Diego Raposo.
Odisha did not participate in a major pre-season tournament but made a number of summer additions to their squad. Notable arrivals named in the build-up include 2025-26 Golden Glove winner Hrithik Tiwari from FC Goa, plus Stephen Eze, Everton Nascimento and Manu Molina. The club’s foreign contingent is recorded as Stephen Eze, Manu Molina, Giorgi Aburjania, Mahmoud Eid and Everton Nascimento. The side will therefore begin their ISL preparations having added personnel but without match minutes from a formal pre-season competition.
Punjab topped their IFA Shield group, which included East Bengal FC and Calcutta Customs FC, and beat the defending ISL champions 1-0 in the group stage. They held the eventual IFA Shield winners to a 0-0 draw in the semi-final before the penalty shootout. The club’s IFA Shield campaign provided additional playing time and opportunities to measure themselves against top domestic opposition. "If the IFA Shield is representative of their intent in the 2026-27 ISL season, it seems like the Shers are aiming nothing below the crown," the report states.
Odisha endured a difficult 2025-26 ISL campaign, finishing 11th with 2 wins, 5 draws and 6 losses, scoring 14 goals and conceding 22. The club finished that season with 11 points, three places above relegation. During the summer window Odisha added a total of 12 players and carried out an overhaul of their foreign contingent while retaining several key domestic players. The club extended the contracts of Suhair VP, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul Henry, Puitea and Tejas Krishna, and the report notes that the side will need collective match time given the lack of pre-season fixtures.
Both teams are expected to have fully fit squads for the opener. Head-to-head entries in the match preview are listed as: Punjab FC wins – 02 Odisha FC wins – 02. Confirmed starting XIs published ahead of the match are: Punjab FC — Arshdeep (GK), Bijoy Varghese, Patrick Bahanack, Uvais, Lhungdim, Mickaël Malsa, Mohammad Inam, Kipgen, Diego Raposo, Raphael Messi Bouli, Alfred Planas. Odisha FC — Hrithik Tiwari (GK), Stephen Eze, Moirangthem Thoiba, Tejas Krishna, Saurabh Bhanwala, Edwin Vanspaul, Puitea, Giorgi Aburjania, Rahim Ali, Everton, Suhair VP.
The Punjab FC v Odisha FC match will be shown live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and will be available to stream digitally for free on YouTube. For further updates the report directs readers to follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, or via the Khel Now Android and iOS apps and its WhatsApp and Telegram communities.
