NorthEast United FC will want to make their historic appearance in the semi-final of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) count when they face off against Bengaluru FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Thursday. With the fixture being the Highlanders' home leg, NorthEast will be eager to put their best foot forward and take an advantage into the second leg at Bengaluru.

Key to NorthEast's ambitions will be captain and star striker Bartholomew Ogbeche. The forward has pitched in with 12 goals over the course of the campaign and will be looking for a stellar performance on Thursday. Ahead of the crunch tie, indiansuperleague.com caught up with Ogbeche for a chat. Here are the excerpts.

How has your season been so far? What are your thoughts on Hero ISL?

My first season has been great so far. It is yet to be an amazing one. We can say we had a great time until now. I can describe the Hero ISL as electrifying and indeterminable as you never know what the outcome of the match will be. It is something amazing for the fans and also for the players alike.

How has your experience been playing under Eelco Schattorie?

The head coach definitely has been very impactful. The way we play actually comes from him. He likes to play good football and as you can see, we don't play to just win matches, we play good football and that comes from him. The fact that he was here for a few months of the last season gave him the chance to know the players better. He knows how to relate to those players and for us, foreigners, he has really made us feel at home.

What are your thoughts leading NorthEast United FC into their first semi-finals?

I am excited. It is humbling to see that in my captaincy we have been able to get into the semi-finals for the first time. We don't just want to stop there. Now we are here and we know we can go much further. So, we are up for more. We want to get into the final. We will go step by step but first things first, we have a match to play against one of the best team in the league.

Is it advantageous to play the first leg at home as it is a two-legged tie?

On the contrary, it is a disadvantage to play the first match at home. Playing at home as everybody knows is a big disadvantage but we will try to compete and go toe-to-toe with the opponent, put our style of play in place, have an impact and get control of the match. So, it is what it is, you have to give them (Bengaluru) credit for having a consistent season and for them to be on top.

How do you take Bengaluru FC as an opponent?

They are the hardest opponent one could get but to be a champion you have to play the best teams. Yeah, we have a mountain to climb and it is not going to be an easy one. If we can climb this mountain, of course, it will boost our confidence and the future will be brighter.

Any message for the fans.

They should come out in numbers and cheer because we have gone through hard times during the season and thanks to them we have been able to make it until now. We are now in a position where we can flourish with their help. So, they should come out in numbers and push us all out so that we can make history together.

Read the Match Preview here.