Jamshedpur FC travel to the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata to take on the reigning champions ATK in the Hero Indian Super league (ISL) 2017-18 on Sunday. Mehtab Hossain has proven to be a vital cog in Jamshedpur’s midfield as they aim to bounce back from a 2-1 setback against FC Pune City, prior to which they had registered back-to-back wins. Speaking to indiansuperleague.com on the eve of the game, the midfield lynchpin stressed the importance of the upcoming fixture. Here are the excerpts.

How has the season been so far?

I’ve been saying this from the start. It’s a new team and it’ll take time and now we’re picking up. The first five to six matches, we didn’t concede a lot of goals. We were getting our defence organized and getting the shape right. That is very important for a team. That was a success. Now we’re scoring a lot of goals. It’s a good sign. The expectation is high and so the next match is very crucial for a top-four finish. We have to win the match with ATK. Football is unpredictable but we will try our best.

Young Jerry Mawihmingthanga is an integral member of your squad. What do you have to say about his performance?

Jerry is a very talented player. He did very well with DSK (Shivajians) last year. If he doesn’t have any problems in his career, he will go a long way. He’s a big talent for India. Moreover, he’s a very good person.

How important is tomorrow’s match?

It’s very important. We can fight for the top-four if we win the match tomorrow. Even if we draw, it’ll be very difficult. All the top four teams are doing well. So we have to go for three points tomorrow.

What do you have to say about the Jamshedpur fans?

I would like to thank the Jamshedpur supporters and their excitement for football. Since (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni is from Ranchi, it was always about cricket but seeing the passion of the fans for football, in a cricket crazy region is really good. Please come and support us no matter what the results are.