Bengaluru FC will be on the road to play against NorthEast United FC in the first leg of semi-final 1 of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 on Thursday.

Before the match, indiansuperleague.com caught up with Bengaluru goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu for his thoughts on the team's season so far and the road ahead. Here are the excerpts.

Thoughts on the performance of the team in the league stage.

I think finishing on top of the table was something that we aimed for before the season started. So, full marks on that. Being able to do that even after losing very important players after last season shows how much work we have done as a team and I'm really proud of the boys who have come in and replaced all the players that left. Because these players performed really well and contributed with their bit. We just need to be positive and happy with all that we have done so far and just make sure that the positivity leads out in the semi-final.

How is the team's morale going into the semi-finals?

It is good. I mean, everyone seems ready. Everyone seems fresh because we had the chance to rotate players in the last match due to the points and how the table was. So, I think the boys are pretty fresh and raring to go.

How big a miss will Erik Paartalu be for Bengaluru FC?

It is a huge miss for us. It is a big blow for us because Erik was a big part of this team and the club and he has contributed a lot. It is a disadvantage for sure but I hope he recovers quickly and joins the team again but in the meantime, we need to do what we do best; stick together and play football because these things happen in football.

What type of match are you expecting in the first leg against NorthEast United FC?

It is a star-studded team on the other side as well. So, the match is going to be tough. We just need to make sure we are smart in our approach because NorthEast United FC are a very strong team.

Will you look at the match as a 90-minute affair or a 180-minute affair?

180-minute match. It makes more sense because we have two matches and an opportunity to mend things as well if anything goes wrong and to cover things as well if things go well. So, we just need to make sure that we perform really well in these 180 minutes.

How big an advantage is it to play the second leg at home?

It is a huge advantage. It helped us last season as well and that was one of the main reasons why we wanted to finish in the top two. We've got that we need to use it to our advantage.

Read the Match Preview here.