FC Pune City travel to the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati to take on NorthEast United FC in Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 on Wednesday. The Stallions are placed third in the league table but were edged 1-2 in their last match against Kerala Blasters FC at home. They would aim to get back to winning ways against a team who are placed ninth in the league standings. The visitors’ 28-year-old defender Gurtej Singh has been a mainstay in their defence, which has conceded the second-least number of goals (14) so far this season. Prior to the match, indiansuperleague.com caught up with Gurtej, who shared his thoughts regarding his journey, his club and the league. Here are the excerpts.

How did your interest in football generate?

My father was passionate about football, so when I was a kid he used to take me to watch football matches. As we lived in Punjab, we used to watch JCT play, and that is how I developed an interest in football.

This is your first season in Hero ISL. How do you feel about the entire experience?

It was always a dream of mine to play in the Hero ISL. I had been following the league for three years and now I got the chance of playing here. So, I want to do my best in my first season.

Any international player or team that you follow?

I am a big fan of Manchester United and as a kid, I used to observe Nemanja Vidic’s play. He was tough and played so well, so I used to follow him.

How is the atmosphere in Pune’s dressing room?

It is very funny. All the foreigners and the Indian players are fun-loving. It does not feel like the foreigners and Indians are different. We all share a good bonding.

How much of a chance do you think Pune have of qualifying for the playoffs?

We are looking at it match by match. Right now, Jamshedpur FC also have the same number of points as us (22) and both FC Goa and Kerala Blasters FC have 20. So, it is important to win our remaining matches.

What are your thoughts on NorthEast?

They are a strong team and recently, they have got a new coach who has brought in new ideas. They have signed some new foreign players. They also have some good Indian players like Len (Seiminlen Doungel) and Hali (Halicharan Narzary). So, it will be a tough game tomorrow and we will have to give our best to win it.

What are your thoughts regarding your team?

Ours is a very good team, where the players share good bonding. We are playing every match with almost the same eleven players. We push each other to do well.