Bengaluru FC will go toe-to-toe with southern rivals Chennaiyin FC in the grand finale of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. The Blues finished the league stage as table-toppers and made light work of FC Pune City in the semi-finals, progressing to the final with a 3 – 1 aggregate victory. Spaniard Dimas Delgado has anchored Bengaluru’s midfield with great finesse, initiating attacks with gusto while also being decisive with his passing. A set-piece expert as well, Delgado has a goal and three assists to his name. He spoke to indiansuperleague.com prior to the league’s exciting climax and shared his thoughts. Here are the excerpts.

Your thoughts on playing the Hero ISL final?

I think we fought all season to get to this final. We’re ready mentally and physically, so it’s nothing to worry about. Yes, we’ll go there, enjoy, prepare properly the way we have been doing and just enjoy because I think it is very important for the club, for us, for the supporters. Let’s all enjoy together and for sure if we do the things like we did, we have a lot of chances to get the trophy. 

What is your take on the rivalry with Chennaiyin FC?

I think it will be a tough game for both the sides. We know that (Chennai is) a strong team. All of them are fighters and it is not easy to play against them. And the results show how difficult it is with this team. But I think the most important thing is how we’re on the field, how we take the final. So we have to be patient like we are. We have to play our football and if we play the way we’ve been playing, we’ll have a lot of chances to win. So we have to be patient, and not worry or fear about anything. We will try to do our best like we’ve been doing to get to the final and enjoy with our family who will be at the stadium. I think it is a historic game.

Your thoughts on Chennaiyin FC’s strong midfield?

We’ll try to tackle them and we’ll fight. I think we will have problems, so I think our weapon has to be our ball; moving the ball quick and just playing our football. I think that’s the best way to avoid tackles and all things that are their strengths. We have to play quickly, be aware and smart about all these things.

Does playing at home add pressure?

I think it can’t be better for us; to play at home, with our fans and our supporters like we have been doing the entire season. So for us it’s very important to have this support and for sure with their support, the game will be easy. In difficult moments, they’ll help to make us strong and for sure we’ll have one more player on the field.