Playoff-hopefuls NorthEast United FC will have nothing except three points on their minds as they prepare themselves for the visit of defending champions Chennaiyin FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium on Saturday. Punching above their weight in the first-half of the season, the Highlanders sprung quite a few surprises before finishing in the top four come the winter break.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, the Highlanders boss, Eelco Schattorie gave his verdict on the winter break and how it had impacted his team’s preparation ahead of the season-defining run-in. The Dutchman said, “The most difficult thing in any team is that we are at a stage where we reached a level that we are in the top-four. We worked hard to try and get to know each other. So, you reach a certain level at this moment where we get a break. In the break, we try to set up a plan to make the team stronger to prepare for the next part. We started the preparations last week. The only thing I’m not happy with is the two friendly games we played. It was a very low level. It makes it very difficult for the coach to assess where everybody is. It’s like going to school: if you do everyday homework, you need to be tested. So, for us, the atmosphere is all good. I know what I can expect from the players who are here.”

Defending champions Chennaiyin come into the fixture with hardly anything to play for. Schattorie, however, dismissed any suggestions that his team would go into the match as favourites. “Any league doesn’t matter which level, you play the opening game, either at the beginning of the season or now after a break, two teams meeting each other is like two bulls. They don’t know what to expect from us and we don’t know what to expect from them. They were champions last year, now they’re last. The question is: are they coming out with full confidence and wanting to regain their position. I have no idea what to expect,” he said.

The on-going winter transfer window has seen the Highlanders bring in Shouvik Ghosh and Panagiotis Triadis so far. On being asked about the kind of impact he was expecting from his new arrivals, the 47-year-old said, “The most difficult thing always is that the time span is short. Then you don’t have time to do experiments, to try because you have less time of training. Both, I hope we can implement into the team where needed. A player always wants to play. He’s coming from the Greek league. You need time to adapt and get to know your team-mates. Same for Shouvik. So, from my side, I always take the decision that is best for the team.”

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