AIFF Super Cup | Not playing against ISL team in last month will make it difficult for us, believes Cesar Ferrando

After finishing fifth in the Indian Super League, the team from Jamshedpur will be eyeing for better results in the ongoing second edition of the Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The team had directly qualified for the tournament but have no match practice as their game against Churchill Brothers in the round of 16 was called off as the Goa-based club didn’t turn up due to I-League clubs protesting against the AIFF. Jamshedpur got an easy entry into the top eight but their coach Ferrando believes that it might make it tough for them to face the ISL runners-up Goa in today’s encounter.

"It is a difficult match for us because in the last month we have not competed with any Hero ISL team. This match is very important. We are going to play the runners-up from the Hero ISL. They are a good team. They play very well. They create a lot of goals. I think we are ready to play as well. I hope we can demonstrate the kind of football we want," Ferrando said at the pre-match press conference, the Super Cup media desk reported.

“I think the level of my team is very high. Tomorrow is a tough match. The team that will play tomorrow has shown a lot of fight in training. At this moment, the team is training very hard. We can try to clinch the trophy. We want to show our respect for this cup. We are doing our best to win the trophy. For that, we need to train every day and try hard." 

Veteran goalkeeper of Jamshedpur FC Subrata Paul also stated that the Gaurs have one of the best teams in the country but the former India international also made it clear that his team has come here to win. In the recently concluded ISL season, JFC finished at the fifth place on the points table after the league stage with a total of 27 points and fells short by two points to NorthEast United FC who made it to the semi-final stage.

"First of all, Goa are a very good side. They played the Hero ISL final. Unfortunately, they couldn’t win. For me, FC Goa are one of the best teams in the country right now. But we are ready to play. We had a very good preparation after the Hero ISL. We couldn’t qualify for the semis but for the Hero Super Cup, we came here to win the trophy. It is very important for us. We want to win something," Paul said before the match.