Bengaluru FC take on Mumbai City FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday with the hope to extend their unbeaten run in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20. Last season’s champions will face a tough challenge against the Islanders, whose unbeaten away form this season is sure to make the fixture exciting.

Speaking to the media at the pre-match press conference, head coach Carles Cuadrat gave his opinion on the upcoming challenge, “Mumbai is quite a similar team as last season. They have changed some players, but the core of the team is the same. We know it is going to be a tough game. All the games this season have been tough. We can see that there are a lot of draws and a lot of teams are very close to each other on the points table.”

The gaffer also showed enough confidence in his team ahead of their game against Mumbai. “I have trust in my players and my team. We are giving a tough competition. The teams find it difficult to score goals against us. This makes us unfavourable opponents. You see a lot of teams who comes to Kanteerava to get a win, but we have played well at home. I am happy with this season and what my players are doing,” he said.

Bengaluru enter the match at the back of a week-long rest and when asked if this will give his team a slight advantage, the Spaniard said, “This break doesn’t really make a difference. We just keep training and working. Only Manuel Onwu is injured with an ankle problem. So, there is not much problem on the injury front.” Adding to this, he said, “He was doing his best and then he got injured. I don’t see what else he can do now. As you can see, we are a team with a very good defensive record but not among the goal scorers. The first priority is to qualify for the playoffs. I am very happy with the work of my squad till now.”

Cuadrat also gave his views on the home advantage, “A home win is important because as I told you, with so many draws happening, one victory can put you in a different situation. All the teams are very close. It is as important for Mumbai as well. They don’t want to create a gap in the middle of the table. Hopefully, with the help of the supporters, we can have a good game at the Kanteerava.”

Joining the head coach was goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, who spoke about his time training alongside Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, “Training with Gurpreet is very helpful because we learn a lot of things. He gives health tips and tells us how to maintain our body. He also points out our mistakes on the field, if any. This is my first time with a professional team and I am trying to learn as much as I can.”

Read the Match Preview here.