GUWAHATI, Feb 19 - NorthEast United FC will be eager to pocket full points as they host FC Pune City at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Wednesday and qualify for the Hero Indian Super League play-offs.
Eelco Schattorie�s team is one of four teams who have lost just three matches this season. The Highlanders have picked up 27 points from 16 matches and sit third on the table. A 2-0 win over Mumbai City FC in their last game should give them the confidence to overcome the threat posed by a resurgent Pune.
�I didn�t mention anything to the players about qualifying. I really take it game by game because if I look back at the last 10 games, the number of times I had to shuffle to make the best possible eleven, it was almost 10 games,� said Schattorie.�
With 12 goals, Bartholomew Ogbeche remains the key player for NorthEast and remains two goals shy of equalling Ferran Corominas. He has the support of Federico Gallego, who is joint-second on the list of most assists and new recruit Panagiotis Triadis who has had an impact in the attacking third.�
�Our tactics were spot on offensively (against Mumbai City). That was how it was supposed to be, but it is not like I�m sitting here with the full conviction that everything is going to be fine,� said Schattorie.
After a bad start to the season, Pune have regained form under new head coach Phil Brown. Their last defeat came in November, against Bengaluru FC. Since then, they have won four out of five matches and are seventh on the table with 18 points.
