FC Goa begin their 2016 Hero Indian Super League season with a trip to Guwahati to face NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Tuesday. It will be the Gaurs’ first match since their bitter loss to Chennaiyin FC in the final of Hero ISL 2015. Their leading goal-scorer from last year, Reinaldo makes a return to Goa for a second successive season to spearhead their attack. The veteran Brazilian striker netted seven times for last season’s runners-up, including a stunning hat-trick against Kerala Blasters FC in a 5-1 win. He spoke to indiansuperleague.com in an exclusive chat ahead of his side’s season opener on Tuesday. Here are the excerpts from the interview.You are coming up against a team that has already won a match and will be high on confidence. How do you rate your opposition?This year we saw the first match, it seems NorthEast United are a stronger team this season. It’s a team which is playing very compact and they are very confident because of their win in their first match. Their players are very strong physically and it is surely going to be one of the hardest games of the season.NorthEast are looking much sorted in defence. What is your game plan to tackle them?Zico did very well with our team in the pre-season tour of Brazil. Our team is very confident to play. I agree with you that NorthEast have a very solid and good defence but I trust our offence power and the quality of our game. I respect NorthEast United, I know how good they are, but I trust my team completely and we always go into a game to win, so we are here to win. Our game plan is to have a lot of movement and when there is a chance to score, not to miss.What kind of game are you expecting?I’m expecting a very intense game with tight marking and pressure. But what I saw from NorthEast in their first game is that they are always looking to score. Zico was one of the greatest players in history so he always sets up his team to play and to look for goals as well, so it will be a great show for the fans.How confident is your squad heading into Tuesday’s game?FC Goa is not just confident for this game but are confident for the entire season. This is our first step to reaching the final and also it is our first battle. We are expecting a good game and are prepared for it.Are you looking forward to striking up a good understanding with Robin Singh?Firstly, I’m very happy to be back with FC Goa. I’m also very happy with the new signing of Robin Singh. We have other good quality strikers as well and whoever Zico picks will do their best and will be happy to play. The most important thing for everyone is to be well prepared.
