Bengaluru FC head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli is eyeing for the win against opponents Jamshedpur FC in their next encounter in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at Athletic Stadium, Bambolim on Saturday to make it three wins in a row.

The Blues have found momentum to become title contenders despite an underwhelming start to their campaign. They are presently placed fourth in the league table with 20 points in 14 matches and have been undefeated in their last eight matches.

Match 82 Preview: Major clash awaits between Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC to decide top-four fate

Ahead of Bengaluru FC’s match against Jamshedpur FC, coach Pezzaiuoli addressed the media during the official pre-match press conference.

Here are the excerpts from the coach's press conference.

What do you make of the Jamshedpur FC side?

The fixtures have changed, which is something I have not experienced before in any League. The players need to handle it, and we have to try and work our way around it now. Most of the coaches are not happy with how the Covid situation was handled with the change in fixtures of the tournament.

Jamshedpur are a physical team, they have a new player in (Daniel) Chima who brings a lot of speed, and can score a lot of goals. There are 6-7 teams who want to be in the top-four spot. Our last game was a good, tough game, but I think we did a little bit more than them on that night. They are a very pressing team like Kerala. They have a good mixture of experienced and young players.

I think it will be a tough game for sure, but now after quarantine, we've had three games in seven days. We are still not back to our best, condition-wise, and that's something we want to work towards.

What has been the mood in the camp?

We have some players coming out of quarantine, but they are not ready to join us for the game because they've spent a lot of time in the room. They are weak, but they are in a good mood, we have been laughing a lot in training and enjoying our football.

In the last match, you played a full Indian backline and they came back with a clean sheet. Your comments on that?

I don't like to differentiate between players, whether they are young or old, I think our defence has performed well in the last few games. I heard Erik Paartalu saying 'defending is an art', and that's true. It's a tough job, and I think we've done well. I was not happy with the finishing, we could have scored 2-3 goals. But it is past, this gives you confidence and power but in the end, a new game starts and you have to give your 100%.

Also Read: We want to make it four wins out of four against Bengaluru FC: Jamshedpur FC's Owen Coyle

Will a draw mean two dropped points for you with the race to the top tightening?

Not at all. I think about it after the match but in the end, the two sides go in to win the game. Any team can beat the other team this season. You can lose every game, no matter where your opponent is positioned. I don't like to think about the possible outcome before the game. A draw can be a very good point for us if we have played well in a tough game. Yes, it's important to win, but the result at the end of the League stage is what matters the most. We know where we are doing well and where we need to improve.

Jamshedpur are a strong team, they work really hard, and it's tough to create chances against them. But, I believe that the players I have available to me will do well.

Your comments on Roshan Singh’s recent performance and will we see him take charge of taking the free-kicks more often?

We have a lot of players who can score from set-pieces. I am happy for Roshan, but he has a lot to improve. He's not the finished product yet. We have a good young player, and as the media and the coaching staff, we know there are many more steps for him to develop.