The stakes will be high when Mumbai City FC host NorthEast United FC at the Mumbai Football Arena here on Wednesday. With the league phase Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 gradually drawing to an end, both teams will go into the match looking for a win in order to fend off the chasing pack.

Ahead of the match, indiansuperleague.com caught up with NorthEast's Shouvik Ghosh for an interview. The defender moved to NorthEast from Mumbai during the January transfer window and talked about the prospect of facing his former team in the crucial tie. Here are the excerpts.

How does it feel to be back in Mumbai and playing against your former side?

Now, I’ve changed my team. I’m completely a NorthEast United FC player, so it won’t be much of a deal for me. I’ll just give my 100%.

Who’s the biggest threat from Mumbai City FC?

There’s no one in particular like that, but they do have two or three good foreign players who we’ll have to pay close attention to. We need to play as the coach tells us to.

How important is this match for NorthEast United FC?

It’s very important for us because if we win, we have a great chance of qualifying. We want to win this match.

Having played for both sides this season, what are the differences between the two?

There aren’t many differences. I was at Mumbai City FC and it was good. Now, I’m at NorthEast United FC and I was here previously as well. So, I’m familiar with everyone and I like it here. Everything is great here.

How does it feel to return to NorthEast United FC?

I feel good because it’s close to my hometown of Kolkata. So, it’s almost like home for me. It feels great.

Read the match preview here.