After defeating Chennaiyin FC in their last match, NorthEast United FC will look to build on the momentum with another victory over second-placed Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.

Ahead of the blockbuster encounter, indiansuperleague.com caught up with NorthEast defender Keegan Pereira for a chat. Here's what he said.

Thoughts on India's run in the AFC Asian Cup?

India really did well. It's not about coming last, but if we watch the last AFC Asian Cup (2011), we conceded a lot of goals. This year, we conceded fewer goals and we won against Thailand. That has not happened in a lot of years. So, I think it is a positive thing for India and we should take this as a stepping stone and move forward.

How important is the match against Bengaluru FC?

For us right now, every match is important and playing against the team above us is going to be tough. We are going to try and win it, but it will be a tough game.

On facing former side Bengaluru FC.

Feels nice to be back. It was really amazing to play before the fans when I was here. They are one of the best fan bases in Indian football. It will be exciting to play against Bengaluru.

On playing with Bartholomew Ogbeche.

He is world-class for us right now. He is doing everything right and he is a great leader on and off the pitch. He is supportive of each and every player and he individually speaks to us. He gives us advice on what to do and what not to do. So, having him in the team is a really good thing.

Thoughts on Eelco Schattorie and his tactics.

I think he is a good coach and he is keeping things really simple for us. He keeps it simple and he tells us what to do. We try to do it according to him. He has been really amazing on and off the pitch and he does good with his team. So, yeah, he is doing really well with us.

Read the match preview here.