Jamshedpur FC’s start to the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 campaign began in fine fashion after a comprehensive win away at Mumbai City FC was closely followed by a hard-fought draw against Bengaluru FC. On Sunday, they gear up to face two-time champions ATK at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, where they will be playing in front of their fans for the first time this season.

A day prior to the match, the home team’s head coach Cesar Ferrando was present at the pre-match press conference to speak with the media. He began by complimenting the strength of his opposition, who has former Jamshedpur gaffer Steve Coppell at the helm of affairs, “ATK is a good team. The team has improved from the first match. They have very good international players and a good coach. But we will go into tomorrow’s match to win. We have trained and prepared to win this game.”

Playing for the first time in front of their anticipating fans, Ferrando was adamant that it won’t faze his players. “Our team has prepared well for the game. We will step onto the field with the intention of winning the game. There isn’t any such pressure due to the match being at home. If the players play tomorrow’s game calmly, we’ll surely win the game. My message to them is to keep calm and be patient. The better the preparation, the better are our chances to win the game.”

When asked if defensive training was where he focused primarily, the Spaniard dismissed the opinion, instead pointing to the number of goals his side have scored in the opening two matches. “We have scored four goals in two games. We work on the forwards, too. We work on the whole team and not just the defenders.”

Significant to Jamshedpur’s start to the season has been the performance of their Indian contingent. He further went on to shed light on the team selection prior to the tie, giving some insights into who deserves a starting berth. Gourav (Mukhi) can start from the bench, although it isn’t decided yet. The selection of the players depends on how they perform in training. We will always try to promote good players from the reserve team into the senior team.”

The Jamshedpur boss concluded by rallying the club’s supporters to cheer them on throughout the 90 minutes. “We want the fans support. We hope that they enjoy the match as much. The better they support, the better we play. Winning is very important tomorrow. Fans push us forward. Hopefully, it is a sold out tomorrow.”

Read the match preview here.