East Bengal FC head coach Carles Cuadrat is eyeing their third ISL victory as his team will face unbeaten Mumbai City FC in Matchweek 10 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai on December 16.

Cuadrat highly ranked his opponent and anticipated a tough challenge against Mumbai City FC. He opined that their experience playing in the AFC Champions League will surely help them improve their performance in the ISL.

"They are a very good team and won the ISL League Sheild in the 2022–23 season, and they have a lot of records and also have very good experience in the AFC Champions League," Cuadrat stated in the pre-match press conference.

"Every single game that they have been playing in the AFC Champions League, even if they didn't get good results, it's a learning 90 minutes for all the players. So, after so many games in that competition, for sure they improve in a personal way as a player and in a global way as a team. So, it's going to be a very difficult game," he added.

New week, new challenge, 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! ✊#JoyEastBengal #EastBengalFC #ISL10 #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/RvqYTB6beO

— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) December 11, 2023

Cuadrat also had a lot of praise for Greg Stewart and shared that his players would have a certain plan to win duels against Stewart.

"I think he's (Greg Stewart) the best player in the league (for me). Of course, we will go with a plan to try to be good against that player," he explained.

Cuadrat also stated that his team will aim for nothing but a win, as they need to secure more wins to earn their place in the playoffs. Speaking in context, the Spaniard said:

“Every match plan that we have been preparing until now is to try to get the three points.”

“In ISL teams need a minimum number of wins to reach the playoffs. Last season there was a number, but maybe it’s not necessary to get as many wins this time because of so many draws in the competition. The plan is to get the three points, because until now we have two wins in eight games so we definitely need more victories,” he signed off.

We want to improve in each and every game: Mandar Rao Desai

Mandar Rao Desai accompanied his head coach in the press conference ahead of their next away game against the Islanders. Desai, who played more than 100 games in the ISL, will face his former club on Saturday.

Desai emphasised their hard work and stated his team displayed decent defensive performances in their last two games, and they are hopeful to continue their form going forward.

"We have been working on our mistakes, and obviously we want to improve in each and every game," Desai stated.

"As a senior player, I always want to help the team keep a clean sheet. And I think we have been doing well the last two or three games. So obviously, we want to continue this work in the next game," he concluded.