Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli wants his team to create more chances ahead of the third match in Hero Indian Super League 2021-22 against Kerala Blasters FC at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Sunday.

Bengaluru FC have won one and lost one in their opening two fixtures. After a solid 4-2 victory over NorthEast United FC, the club lost 3-1 against Odisha FC in the last match. BFC had more ball possession, shots, shots on target, and number of passes, but still only managed to score one goal.

One of the positives for the 2018-19 Hero ISL champions would be the different goalscorers they have had. Four BFC players have found themselves on the scoresheet in just two matches. The attacking intent is quite visible as the team has already scored five goals till now.

Leading up to their clash against Kerala Blaster FC, coach Pezzaiuoli addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the press conference.

How do you assess Kerala Blasters FC and what kind of challenge do you expect from them?

I think it’s a hard game. They are a strong team. We deserved to win the last game. They have a good attack. They like to press high and would like to give us stress. We need to be very sharp in duels. We need to win the duels, for me that’s the most important thing. Then we need to play our game. We need to focus on our principles with the ball, without the ball and transition. They are the strongest team out of the three games.

You won the first match handsomely but the second match was not so good. So, What are the areas you are looking to improve in tomorrow’s match against Kerala Blasters FC?

I feel the second game was also good. After making an individual mistake in the first five minutes, the team came back strong and we dominated the match. You can either see the glass empty or full. And I see the glass as full. Because it’s not like we didn’t play well. We played better with the ball. We continued to create chances.

Bengaluru FC conceded three goals against Odisha FC. How do you look at it?

Two goals were individual mistakes. Gurpreet didn’t hit the ball well and Udanta made a stupid foul just outside the box. But I don’t want to talk about defence. Defence wise we were good. Our defensive work off the ball was good. I am not going to point out my team’s defensive display. It was two individual mistakes. I agree we need to create more chances and act faster than the defensive line of the opposition.

There’s a fan rivalry associated with this game. Is this a game you’re looking forward to?

I heard about it. I know the supporters are behind us. When there are 20000 or 25000 fans in either of the stadiums then it’s a different game than without fans.