The temperature is rising in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 as the race for a top four spot intensifies. With three wins and a draw in their last five games, Jamshedpur FC are currently in a rich vein of form, and will be hoping to continue that when they shift base to Bhubaneshwar for one home game against an already qualified Bengaluru FC. Jamshedpur’s Sumeet Passi spoke to indiansuperleague.com ahead of their crucial match against table-toppers Bengaluru at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. Here are the excerpts.

What are your thoughts on the top four battle going on right now?

Because of the tight top four battle, the next match is a must-win for us. If we win, it will help us compete better in the race for the top four, so the win is important.

Will the change of venue from Jamshedpur to Bhubaneshwar affect your team?

It depends on the crowd. If we get a good crowd turning out for the games, then it will work in our favour. But Bengaluru FC is a tough side and are the table toppers, so the match is sure to be difficult. Still, we are ready to give them a good fight.

Will you be taking your strong defensive form and mentality into the game against Bengaluru FC as well?

Everyone in our defence – (Andre) Bikey, Anas (Edathodika), Shouvik (Ghosh), Raju (Yumnam) – is playing well, so we are hoping to keep a clean sheet tomorrow as well. Bengaluru FC have a good attack, so it should be a good contest between attack and defence. We will try our best to defend well.

Do you have any message for the fans who will turn up tomorrow?

We have received some great support in Jamshedpur and would hope for more of the same in Bhubaneswar, so please come and join us and be our twelfth man. If you are with us, then we can grab the three points tomorrow.