With their hopes of reaching the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 final hanging in the balance, Bengaluru FC will look to overturn a one-goal deficit against NorthEast United FC when they host the Highlanders in the 2nd leg of their semi-final clash at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday. Having lost the first leg in Guwahati by a 2-1 scoreline, even a 1-0 victory at home will be enough to send Carles Cuadrat’s men through to the March 17 grand finale. A 2-1 win will trigger extra time, while NorthEast scoring two or more goals will complicate things for the Blues, requiring them to secure a minimum of a two-goal victory to advance.

Ahead of the do-or-die fixture, Bengaluru head coach Carles Cuadrat took time to address the media at the pre-match press conference. Sharing his thoughts on the big match, Cuadrat said, "We're ready for the game and are training very well. All the players are motivated and fit. We have the feeling that here in Kanteerava, in front of the supporters, we can give them one of these nights that we will remember through the years. Like the one in the AFC Cup or the one against Pune last season when we reached the final. Tomorrow, with the help of all the fans, we can do something nice for the club."

Speaking about the challenge his players will be up against on Monday, he said, "We knew that we have to get a good result in Guwahati to come back here and fight for the second leg. You saw what happened last night. Mumbai didn't win and as Jorge Costa said, he thinks the team is out of the competition.  It happens sometimes in football. I am happy that we came here with a result that is not so bad. We have an away goal. I am only unhappy about the end of the game where we conceded the penalty."

"It was the kind of game we were expecting. I don't know what is going to happen tomorrow but I have the feeling that we can win this battle. Sometimes, the game can go into extra-time and I believe that we can beat them there. We want to be competitive," he added.

The first leg ended in dramatic fashion, with NorthEast winning the match with a penalty in the dying minutes of the match. Looking back, Cuadrat said, "Football is all about controlling the emotions. I think we put in a very professional display in the first leg against NorthEast to get a good result. We made a mistake to concede the penalty from the free kick. Other than that, we were not allowing them anything."

The Spaniard also gave his take on the penalty decision and said, "I have my own opinion. Harmanjot Singh Khabra was clearly grabbing Juan Mascia. But if you see the full action, it's basically a fault of Mascia first. Mascia is bigger than Khabra. He was putting him two-three steps inside and then trying to break the offside line. So, Khabra falls down while having a hold of Mascia. The referee decides to be a part of the action and awards NorthEast a penalty. I have been in football for 40 years. I know how this works. Mascia has won three penalties this season in extra time. That means points for the team and now, an advantage in the semi-finals. I have full respect for Mascia and the NorthEast team. They are trying to do what they need to do to give their team the advantage."

Alejandro Barrera, who was brought in in place of an injured Erik Paartalu just before the semi-finals, had a somewhat subdued debut match against NorthEast in the first leg. Analysing his new recruit's performance, Cuadrat opined, "He is a very good professional. But every league and every country's football has different characteristics. Till half time, he was not understanding 100 % what was going on on the pitch. But his presence was very important for us, in what we were doing. And I feel he had a very good second half. He is going to start the game again tomorrow."

Read the Match Preview here.