FC Pune City will be on the lookout for a second consecutive victory when they take on NorthEast United FC at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium in Pune on Saturday. The Stallions, however, will be without head coach Ranko Popovic who will be serving a four-match touchline suspension. Pune’s young prodigy Ashique Kuruniyan spoke exclusively to indiansuperleague.com ahead of the weekend’s clash, sharing some of his experiences with the squad. Here are the excerpts.

What is it like to play alongside some of the biggest foreign players?

It is a very big thing for me. They have so much experience playing for different clubs. It is also an experience for me playing alongside them. They keep telling me to do certain things while training and this will help me a lot.

Which position do you feel is the most comfortable for you?

I like to play on the left wing and as a striker also.

How challenging is it for you to grasp Ranko Popovic’s training methods?

It is very challenging because he likes to play ball-possession football. It is very hard to get into the team, because some players try very hard in training. In practice, we really have to show our intent and let the management know that we are hungry for opportunities. So, it is very challenging.

One Indian player you would want in your club?

That would be Sunil Chhetri.

Do you believe the game against North East is the perfect game to start building momentum?

All our matches are the same. We have to win irrespective of who or where we are playing. We will try hard to play our best and play well.

Any message you have for the Pune fans?

Come to our ground and support us. We will do our best to win the next game.