NorthEast United FC head coach Cesar Farias is not taking FC Goa lightly ahead of their Hero Indian Super League Season 2 encounter at Fatorda’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Wednesday. FC Goa suffered a big 4-0 defeat at the hands of defending champions Atlético de Kolkata in their last match and when asked if the demoralising Gaurs defeat could work to the Highlanders’ advantage on Wednesday, the Venezuelan said: “I don't think they're a team in a bad moment or with less confidence. They are a very good team with solid coaching staff and solid players and there are possibilities, not because they are down or low on confidence,” Farias told reporters on Tuesday.NorthEast, who began their campaign with three consecutive defeats, have done really well in their last few matches, taking 10 points from a possible 15. When asked what the reason behind their revival was, Farias said: “We played our first three games well that's why there was no reason to put our heads down. We knew we were facing some inconveniences for example we had eight fewer players. We knew from the beginning that we needed a team with strong character because we were the team that played the last game of the first round, and we will be the first team to finish the league stage. Our schedule compared to other teams’ is more compressed, knowing we have to travel the longest.”“Every game is a different story, we want to forget everything, every win, every loss…We have the possibilities with our strength and we want to believe in those possibilities.”Farias also made it clear that he won’t mind coming away from Fatorda with one point. “You always play a game with the idea that you are going to get points. If you get one point, it's very good, if three, it's excellent. One point can make a big difference at the end. If you analyse with a cool head you will see that one point is very good,” he said.NorthEast United FC have 16 points from 11 matches and will do their semi-final chances a world of good if they can beat Goa on Wednesday. When asked what set the Highlanders apart in the second edition of the league, the Venezuelan said: “We always think game by game, we're not thinking ahead of ourselves. One thing is that every day that goes by, our belief gets stronger, to make it to the semis but we only concentrate game by game. And the highly committed individuals that we have in the locker room trigger that belief that it gets stronger and stronger. This game is the final vs Goa and we're not thinking of the other two games.”
