NorthEast United FC will play their fourth match in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 away to Hyderabad FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Wednesday. Robert Jarni’s men have enjoyed a decent start to their campaign, accumulating five points from a maximum of nine available to them.

Ahead of the fixture, indiansuperleague.com spoke with Highlanders defender Rakesh Pradhan in an exclusive pre-match interview. Here are the excerpts:

Was the last-minute equaliser versus FC Goa a tough pill to swallow?
It was very tough to swallow. We were very sad when we got to the dressing room. Everyone was upset, because just a few minutes of lack of concentration in the game cost us two points.

On the influence of an international star like Asamoah Gyan in the team.
(Asamoah) Gyan is a big figure, a big personality. You can't say anything (negative) about him. He has been encouraging us in the dressing room. He has a big influence. He talks about the big matches he has played in the (FIFA) World Cup and with many big clubs. So, in that way, we take his experience and go to the pitch.

On your potential approach against an injury-stricken Hyderabad FC in the next game.
Injuries in the team won't matter for them because they will go all-out against us. Of course, they'll have the home support. So, (it's like) nothing has changed (for them). We have been watching them closely and (on Wednesday) we will prove that.

On your experience of working with head coach Jarni and the responsibilities allocated to each player.
Every player has been given a certain responsibility of his own. The (head coach) has played at the top level and he has managed the Croatian junior team as well. So, he knows what to do and we follow his tactics. He keeps the team together with certain rules which we have to follow.

Read the Match Preview here.