ISL 2019 | Only target is to win against ATK, says Sergio Lobera

ISL 2019 | Only target is to win against ATK, says Sergio Lobera

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ISL

FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera has stated that the only thing on his mind now is to secure a win against ATK in their next ISL match on Thursday. Meanwhile, opposition coach Steve Coppell was also adamant that his team will be fighting for a win at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.

Fourth-placed FC Goa will go up against sixth-placed ATK on Thursday at the at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda. A win for the home team will secure their spot in the top four teams ahead of the play-off stage while a win for ATK will get them closer to the upper tier of the table as they aim for a spot in the knockout stage.

FC Goaā€™s coach Sergio Lobera was reluctant to set expectations high as he revealed that thereā€™s only one thing on his mind right now and that is to win their next game against their Kolkata-based opponents.

"Right now, I only have one target in mind which is winning tomorrow. No, I want to think about the positives. I always look forward to winning the three points. Depending on the game and thinking on what happened on the pitch, you can take one point as a positive point. But before the game, you cannot say that a draw would be sufficient.

"I think we are facing a great team. And we have to beat the team, not the individual players. I think Edu Garcia is in great form," the 42-year old said in a pre-match press conference.

Meanwhile, ATKā€™s head coach Steve Coppell agreed that his side needs to make most of their remaining matches to stand a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. The British coach refused to adopt a laid back approach for the match against the Gaurs considering their superior head-to-head record.

"It is a crucial match in terms of the consequences, but we will approach it like any other game. We want to win. So, we try and prepare to win. You canā€™t be more intense than we have been in the previous 15 games. The preparation for these games is a process. We will continue our process and we hope that we get a good result.

"Psychologically I suppose it (the head-to-head statistic) makes you feel a little better, but Iā€™m sure once the whistle blows tomorrow evening, it wonā€™t make much difference. Goa are a very good team. We respect them, the ability they have, individually and collectively. We know we have to be at the top of our game to get a positive result tomorrow," Coppell said at the pre-match press conference.

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