FC Goa are on a good run of form, having won two out of their three Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 fixtures so far. They now host a Kerala Blasters FC side who scored their first goal of the season in their previous match. The Blasters though are still without a win this campaign and Goa will want to keep it that way when they face the men in yellow at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa on Saturday.

Speaking to the media during the pre-match press conference was the Gaurs’ head coach Sergio Lobera. He began by mentioning that while they were victors against a strong Bengaluru side, there was still room for improvement. “We competed well in the last game,” he said. “Of course, there are aspects which we need to improve on. We will be addressing that and looking forward to the next game.”

He further added what he thinks of Kerala. “I wouldn’t classify Kerala as defensive,” he inferred. “They have players with a lot of quality and create a lot of chances. They will be well organized in defence and in attack. We will have to be on top of our game.”

Goa have had a long gap before the upcoming fixture and Lobera believes that they need to get their rhythm sorted quickly. “I know eight days (break) is a long time,” he stated. “But we have to back ourselves and keep doing the same things and get into rhythm quickly. We have to back ourselves and be really positive.”

Before wrapping up Lobera also shed light on his tactics that saw him change his defence in the last match. “There were two reasons (for changing the defence),” he explained. “The first thing is the rule of the league with a limited number of foreign players. The second thing is the opposition. We play teams with different styles of play and we have to play a certain style in order to win the game.”