FC Pune City welcome Bengaluru FC for the first leg of the first semi-final of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Wednesday. The Stallions will be wary of the Blues, who have already beaten them at home in the league phase. Midfielder Adil Khan has been a consistent performer for his team and has bagged four goals so far. The 29-year-old addressed indiansuperleague.com ahead of the match and shared his thoughts. Here are the excerpts.

Bengaluru have already beaten Pune this season. How does that affect the team’s mentality?

Yes, they did beat us in our home leg in the league phase, but it was due to a red card after we were leading 1 – 0 in the first half. It was a tough game against a strong team. But I believe the one who will perform will win the match. We will try to do our best to get a win in the first leg.

How different do you think the semi-finals will be compared to the league phase?

We have to win all the matches in the semis. We cannot take chances of even a draw. It will be difficult to go and play in Bengaluru. So, we will try to do as well as possible tomorrow.

Is there a team you wanted to avoid in the semi-finals?

Not really, because all teams who have qualified are tough teams. So, it is not that we wanted to avoid any team. It was our luck that we finished fourth and they finished first. So, we have to face them. All three teams, Bengaluru, Chennaiyin and Goa, are tough and did well in the league stage. So, we will see how it goes and give our best.

What do you think is better: playing at home first or playing away first?

Playing an away match first is always better. The away team will know the result ahead of the home leg and can plan accordingly for the second leg at home. Also if you score an away goal, it always gives you an advantage.

Where do you think the game can be won or lost?

I think it will mostly be down to the defensive performance. We will have to keep our defence strong. If we don’t concede at home, it will help us go and express ourselves to attack in Bengaluru’s home. Even if it finishes 1 – 1 there, then we will go through on away goals. So, we will try to be strong in defence, wait for chances to convert, but we will be putting more stress on our defence.