NorthEast United FC have the opportunity to seal a play-off spot for the first time in the club's history with a win against FC Pune City at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday. The Highlanders, currently third in the table, have been a major success story this season after finishing at the bottom of the table just 12 months back.

At the pre-match press conference, NorthEast head coach Eelco Schattorie was asked if the team will be under pressure to confirm their passage into the semis. "No, I didn’t mention anything to the players about qualifying. I really take it game by game. Last week in Mumbai it was a similar situation. We won 2-0. It was one of the first times where Mumbai had over 50% ball possession. Against us, that normally doesn’t happen. We just want to win and that's it," he said.

The Dutchman, however, revealed that there are quite a few injury concerns in the squad, which will make the task more difficult. "We have almost six injuries in the team. TP Rehenesh is injured. Provat Lakra, Robert Lalthlamuana are not 100% fit. Shouvik Ghosh was sick. There are two of them who are fifty-fifty. Defender Pawan Kumar is also injured. So, I’m not sitting here with the full conviction that everything is fine. But I’m confident that we are going to go into the game as 11 players wanting to win the game. But I don’t speak anything to the players about qualifying," he said.

Asked about his thoughts about FC Pune City's remarkable resurgence under new head coach Phil Brown, Schattorie said, "I have a very simple assessment of them. Many people forget that Pune are the only team in the league that plays 5-3-2. Almost all teams play 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. You get used to playing a style and suddenly have to play a different style and that for many teams is difficult on a tactical level."

"It does not mean that it’s the only reason. But I think that it plays a big role. It’s a difficult team. They are in a winning mood. I prepared the team as good as possible against their formation because it needs understanding. 50% of any game is organization. But I think we are ready for that," he added.

Read the match preview here.