GUWAHATI, Oct 25 - Hosts NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) will face Odisha FC in the Hero Indian Super League at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Saturday.
The Highlanders opened their account in the sixth edition of the championship playing a goalless draw against Bengaluru FC while their opponents Odisha FC is yet to garner any point as they went down 1-2 to Jamshedpur FC in their lung opener.
NEUFC head coach Robert Jarni seemed to be happy with the performance of his team against the formidable Bengaluru FC and hoped the players will be able to carry the same form on their home ground before a vociferous crowd.
In the pre-match press conference today, the Croatian showered praise on defenders Mislav Komorski and Kai Heerings who did a commendable job as central defenders and contained all the Bengaluru frontliners including India captain Sunil Chhetri. The coach also hoped that Colombian midfielder Jose Leudo will be able to provide ample support to the attackers as well as the defenders as he did in the opening match.
�I am happy with the point in the opening match which was a crucial one. The team worked hard against the defending champions Bengaluru FC. Now at home, we will look to play more attacking football. We are ready for that kind of football as well,� said Jarni.
Odisha FC coach Josep Gombau was not satisfied with his defence in the match against Jamshedpur. He said, �The defence, led by Carlos Delgado, needs to buckle up against the opponent strikers.�
He said, in ISL every team is well balanced and are raring to go in every match. �We are preparing in our own way against the hosts.� The Spaniard revealed that he has faith on Aridane Santana, who has been counted as a potent striker. �Santana is capable of tearing apart any kind of defence. Tomorrow he will play a vital role for the team.�
The coach said that the team does not have any injury problem and hoped to gain full points.
Match starts at 7:30 pm
