Odisha FC can go within one point of the top four if they manage to come away with a win against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Sunday. Josep Gombau’s men are returning to action in the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 after more than a week’s break, with their last game in the league resulting in a massive win over Hyderabad FC.

Continuity will be the aim and Odisha head coach Josep Gombau stressed on the fact while speaking at his pre-match press conference. He said, “We know that Goa is a very good team but we came here with the aim to try and get a result.”

Looking back at his team’s previous results, Gombau added, “I think that we deserved a little bit more. We have played quite good games this season, but the league is very equal and every game is a big fight on the field. Every single team can beat the opposition team, and now the important thing is what we can do from now until the end of the season.”

Gombau then switched his attention to the Goa tie and told, “We have a big test in Goa. They are a team which is fantastic. They had a lot of injury problems and suspensions but even then, they got the results and were at the top of the table. It is a tough game for us.”

“Against Goa, I hope, we have a very equal game. Last year, when we came here, the game was decided at the end. It’s important to have the ball. Goa is a team that is used to having the ball. If we can take the ball from them, they would suffer. It’s a game where we cannot do mistakes because they have quality. We have our game plan. A lot of work has gone into this plan. If Goa wants to beat us, they would need to work a lot,” he added.

The 43-year-old Spaniard also voiced that the difference between teams in the league wasn’t much this season. “I think it’s all very equal. We are out of the top four but are just four points below it. if we win, we are within one point. It’s very equal. We have to go game by game and do our best.”

Finally, the Odisha boss expressed satisfaction at the performance of his young squad. “I think that we are a team that has a lot of young players. These players need to grow. Every single game we are playing with five under-23 players. This is every single week because even the players that come in (from the bench) are young. I think that we are doing well. The players are getting experience. We play good football and I am satisfied with the job we are doing. Every single game we are competing very well. There’s not one game this season where we were not competing. We need to keep working with these young players. I am satisfied with what we doing,” he concluded.

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