FC Goa will be looking to put their disappointing loss at home to Bengaluru FC behind them when they travel east to face two-time Hero Indian Super League (ISL) champions ATK. The Gaurs have enjoyed an exhilarating start to the season filled with attacking football. However, getting past ATK will be far from straight forward for the top-scorers in the league with the former champions harboring their own playoff aspirations.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gaurs boss Sergio Lobera cut a relaxed and unfazed figure despite having surrendered top spot to Bengaluru. He began by stating how important Ferran Corominas is to the team. “I think Coro was the best player last season. We were lucky to have Coro in our team considering there was interest from Delhi Dynamos and other clubs. And he is a great player. He has done a lot of great things. He also helps us off the field. He’s also a great person,” he said.

Goa’s sensational attacking play often evokes the child within fans from all corners of the country, but their leaky defence leaves a lot to be desired. Lobera though remains defiant and suggests that football should be seen as a game of goals rather than clean sheets. “I think the most important thing is to win the game. And to do that we have to score more goals than the other team, and if we do that, I’m happy. And the second thing that I like, is the difference in goals scored for and goals scored against,” the Spaniard insisted.

The 41-year-old also confirmed the absence of suspended duo Mohamed Ali and Hugo Boumous from the squad. When asked if he was satisfied with how his team have performed so far, Lobera replied, “I think we are where we deserve to be right now. Ultimately what happens on the pitch is sort of dependent on what we do behind the scenes. For us, it’s all about taking it game by game, thinking about where we want to be in the next months. The idea is to take it game by game.”

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