FC Goa take on Pune City in a must-win game

Pune, February 24: FC Goa will continue to show faith in the style of play that won them many admirers at the start but has not given them much in the last few matches.

FC Goa have slipped to seventh place in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) table and need to win their clash against FC Pune City at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium, Pune, on Sunday (February 25) for a place in the semi-finals.

It seems strange that FC Goa won't make it to the top four following a string of disappointing results but coach Sergio Lobera doesn't see the need to change his approach.

"I've seen all the games of the league and teams don't play differently against us. It is true when Pune played us (at home), they played defensively but I don't think any other team did anything special when they were up against us," Lobera said during the pre-match media interaction.

Goa has not won any of their last five matches and picked up just two points from those games, leaving them with 21 points from 15 matches. Goa, however, still don't need to depend on any other result and will qualify if they win the next three matches.

"It's true that we haven't had good games. Only two points from the last five. But if you look at the past, you can see what we had done earlier. We still depend on ourselves in the next three matches. The future begins tomorrow. We've an important game, and when this game finishes, we want to be dependent on ourselves," said the FC Goa chief coach.

FC Pune City have done well this season and are only a point away from qualifying for the semifinals for the first time since inception of the ISL in 2014. That should be motivating enough for coach Ranko Popovic, whose team is placed second with 29 points from 16 matches.

"It's important to win because of the history (of the club). Our target remains the same. We will try to do our best and try to take three points. If we do like this, you don't have to worry and we will reach the target," said Popovic.

Pune, who won 2-0 in the away game in Goa, are up against a team who are winless in five matches. Popovic, however, has enough respect for the opposition and is not taking anything for granted.

"One month ago, FC Goa were the top candidates to top (the league) and become champions. It's the same team, same players, same coach," said the Pune coach.

(Source: ISL Media)

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