Kerala Blasters FC begin their 2018-19 season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) with an away encounter against ATK on Saturday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. This fixture promises to be an enticing one as both sides will be looking to start their campaign with a victory, while fans nationwide would be hoping for a cracker of a season opener.

Ahead of this edition’s first match, indiansuperleague.com caught up with India’s FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 star Dheeraj Singh, who joined Kerala this summer, to find out his thoughts prior to his debut Hero ISL season. Here are the excerpts from the interview:

Who has been the one goalkeeper you've looked up to?

I’ve always looked up to Petr Cech. I like the way he plays and how he keeps himself very cool and calm. I also like the playing style of David De Gea – his aggression and the quality with his feet is very nice.

Tell us a bit about the last 12 months of your career.

The last few years, like three to four years, has been really great for me. AIFF (All India Football Federation) has given all the possible things, all the facilities and all the exposure to develop as a player. I'm very thankful to the AIFF for giving this kind of an opportunity for me to develop, and it was a great experience playing against tough teams and playing the World Cup and playing in the AFC level. It was really great for me and a good experience to grow up as a player.

Thoughts on working with head coach David James?

It is a great experience and a good opportunity for me to train under such a great goalkeeper. And you know, he's kind of an idol for me, who gives us motivation every time during the training session. We look up to him and he's been giving confidence to each and every player. He's giving match time to each and every player and that's the main thing, which is required to grow.

How are you preparing for the game against ATK?

Really excited and looking forward. It's going to be the first match of the league and it is very important for us to keep the momentum. It will carry till the end of the league. It is a very important stage for us and it will be very challenging as we’re playing against ATK in their home ground. It's going to be tough and challenging for the team.