NorthEast United FC head coach Ricki Herbert kept his cards close to his chest as he downplayed the significance of his side’s clash against FC Goa in Fatorda, Goa, at the pre-match press conference today. The Highlanders, who are currently sixth on the Hero Indian Super League table, can displace the hosts from third spot if they win on Monday. Both sides come into the fixture after thumping wins in their last outings but Goa have been in scintillating form in the second half of the tournament, having won thrice in the last five games. Herbert said he was aware of this fact but countered that his team will be looking to win as well. “I don’t think anybody is really hard to beat in this league. All the teams are probably in the same mix. Every team has had their ups and downs in the competition and with three games to go, everyone is still in contention for a spot in the knockout stages. We’re just looking at the Goa game as another fixture. It’s a game we want to win,” the Kiwi gaffer said.Looking back at his last game, when the north easterners humbled league leaders Chennaiyin FC 3-0 in their own backyard, the New Zealander was all praise for his players. “I thought we were terrific in the last game. We played probably the best team in the league and it was a very convincing result for us. We’re very pleased to be here in Goa and we look forward to another three points,” he said.A loss in the previous match would have left the Highlanders, who were bottom of the league table, in a very precarious position in terms of qualifying for the knockout stages. However, Herbert disagreed with such a perception. “I don’t think we would have been out of the competition had we not won that game. It would certainly have made things very very difficult for us, but as it turns out, we put our best foot forward and took three points from a tough game,” he averred.Not divulging too much team information, the coach revealed that every player has traveled and will be training on the eve of the match.
