NorthEast United FC will look to hold onto their one-goal advantage when they face off against Bengaluru FC in the second leg of their semi-final encounter at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Monday. Coming into the fixture on the back of a 2-1 first leg win in Guwahati, even a draw would suffice for the Highlanders to advance to the final on March 17. The margin of error, however, is a small one considering a 1-0 loss would see them bow out of the competition since Bengaluru do have the cushion of having scored an away goal in the first leg. In case the regulation time ends with a reverse scoreline of the first leg result, the tie will head into extra time.

A day prior to the fixture, NorthEast head coach Eelco Schattorie was available for the pre-match presser to take questions from the media. To start it off, Schattorie was asked about an update on Rowllin Borges and Bartholomew Ogbeche, both of whom sustained hamstring injuries in the first leg. The Dutchman, however, opted to remain coy and said, "No updates. Let them guess. I am being strategic here and we'll see tomorrow."

Speaking of his plans for Monday's match, Schattorie said, "We haven't come here to lose. We are here to win. I have only 16 fit players left and they will go out to get the result. We know exactly how Bengaluru play and they'll know how we play. Last match, we completely dominated in the first half. We lost two key players and in the second half, it was way more difficult. But coming here, we have only one thing in mind. It is all or nothing. We are going to go ahead and try to reach the final."

When asked how he plans to set up his team despite the several injury absentees in the squad, the veteran coach replied, "In football, a team is a puzzle. Goa won 5-1 against Mumbai. I think it took them one and a half seasons to figure out that they needed an extra centre back. The moment that foreign centre back started playing, they had very good results. In a team, one player can make a big difference. If you lose key players early in the season, you have to go out and replace them but that is not always possible. So, now, I have to solve the puzzle and put out the strongest team."

"We are here with good spirit. We had a good result and want another one tomorrow. Whosoever will be playing has my complete trust and confidence. Hopefully, we can make it till the end and reach the final," he added.

Pushed for a comment on Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat's claims that the penalty which clinched the first leg at Guwahati for NorthEast might have been an unfair one, Schattorie said, "That was a clear penalty. I think Khabra almost undressed Mascia. If you don't agree with that, am sorry. It's his opinion. It's always hard when you are losing. You have to be objective about these - sometimes you get something and sometimes you give something away. In my opinion, during the goal they scored, there was a clear foul in the midfield. We can keep nagging about it, it's part of the game. We have to respect the referee."

Towards the end, Schattorie was asked if he was intimidated a bit at the prospect of playing against Bengaluru on their own backyard. “A game is a game. We have a really good away record. I am not scared and don’t care. We are just here to win and reach the final,” he responded.

Read the Match Preview here.