Odisha FC head coach Sergio Lobera is eyeing full points against Punjab FC, as his team will face the Shers in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The Shers, who clinched their first-ever ISL victory to put an end to their 10-match losing streak, will be aiming to continue the momentum against Odisha FC at home. The Kalinga Warriors will aim to keep three consecutive clean sheets in the ISL to continue their five-match unbeaten streak.

Lobera urged his players to focus on themselves and wants them to be loyal to their style of play.

“Our plan is to put the focus on ourselves,” Lobera stated in the pre-match press conference.

“The most important thing is to be loyal to our style of play. We know we are going to play against a team that has the highest motivation because they won the last game, but I think they played very well against the other teams,” he added.

Lobera acknowledged that it seems difficult to adapt to ISL in the very first year but admired Punjab FC’s style of play.

“I like how Punjab FC is playing,” he said.

“I think they are playing very well. They are trying to play good football. I like the team very much. Obviously, the first year of ISL is very difficult because of its reputation and progress. The last win gives them motivation for this game,” he shared.

Lobera’s men played out a goalless draw against East Bengal FC in their last match. He emphasized that it’s important for his players to recover during this busy schedule.

“After our draw against East Bengal FC, the most important thing for us is to recover the players quickly because we have three games in practically seven days,” he opined.

“But we are very excited about the game. We are excited to get points before the break. Tuesday will be a difficult game. I am sure about this because they have a very good team and they are trying to play very good football. But we are here; we are ready for the challenges,” he signed off.

We'll do our best to win the game: Sahil Panwar

 

Sahil Panwar accompanied his head coach ahead of their next away fixture against Punjab FC. Panwar anticipates a difficult challenge against the Shers but wants to focus more on themselves.

“It is going to be a very difficult game for us because now they (Punjab FC) are playing really well,” he said.

“They (Punjab FC) have very good players. We are focusing more on ourselves. We know what to do tomorrow, how to play, what to do, and what not to do. So, we'll do our best to win the game on Tuesday,” he added.

Panwar shared how Lobera is helping them with his innovative ideas and understanding of the game. Speaking in context, he stated:

“He (Lobera) has been helping us a lot because his understanding of the game and his ideas are working well.”

"We are all working hard because we want to achieve something special in this ISL and the AFC as well. I hope that we can do well in the AFC and ISL,” he concluded.

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Odisha FCPunjab FC2023-2024