FC Goa gear up to welcome Chennaiyin FC in the first leg of the second semi-final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Saturday in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18. The Gaurs ended the league phase as the highest scorers of the season with 42 goals to their name and would want to make good use of the home advantage when the 2015 champions come calling.

Goa enter the match on the back of three back-to-back victories and addressing the media during the pre-match press conference was their head coach Sergio Lobera. The Spaniard stressed that while playing defensive was an important factor, the team’s playing style would remain unchanged. “Obviously, playing defensive is a goal we need to take into account,” he stated. “But I don’t think our playing style will change. The team needs to continue with the mentality that they have at this point in time. In the last three games, we have got very good numbers in terms of the number of goals we have scored and the amount we have conceded. And this the way to go about.”

Lobera also mentioned the importance of teamwork in the long run. “I think if we don’t function as a team, it is impossible to achieve success,” he remarked. “But the way football goes, the ones who score the goals come up in the headlines. But for me, there are other people in the team who work hard and it’s their work that helps other people shine a little bit more. This is what permits us to be a competitive team.”

Regarding keeping clean sheets, the 41-year-old said, “I think getting a clean sheet is not just the work of the goalkeeper. I think it is dependent on the entire team. I think the team has been defensively good in the past three games. This has allowed us to keep clean sheets. We have to defend well as a team to do well.”