ISL 2019-20 | Hyderabad FC won last match and will be confident, asserts Robert Jarni

11/04/2019

NorthEast United FC head coach Robert Jarni has stated that he is expecting Hyderabad FC to surprise them in the next match after their comeback win at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium. A huge injury boost for the Highlanders would be the availability of centre-half Kai Herrings for the match.

NEUFC have been of one the few teams to remain unbeaten in the Indian Super League this season. And they would be travelling to Hyderabad for their next match, a venue that saw a star-studded Kerala Blasters side succumb to late goals. And Jarni has admitted that they won’t be taking the risk of undermining them.

“We have seen Hyderabad’s games. You never know how they will play and they can surprise you. They won the last match and will be confident. We will need to be prepared. They were outplayed by Kerala but somehow managed to find two goals and win the match,” said Jarni in the pre-match press-conference, reported ISL website.

“As for us, we are still unbeaten and have played some big teams in the league. We are confident. It’s going to be a tough match. We’ll try to win every game and the objective will be the same. Our team is a young squad. They need experience and you have to earn it by playing matches. Hopefully, we can learn quick and improve our performance to win more games,” he added.

NEUFC have been quite competitive so far, with five points from three matches that were against Bengaluru FC, Odisha FC, and FC Goa. And Jarni has been of the opinion that positive results away to BFC and FCG have given his side the much-needed confidence.

“People say they (Bengaluru and Goa) are the strongest teams in the league. We played very well against these two, and any of the teams could have won these games. It’s good for us because it gives you confidence when you do well against big teams. Every game is different and very difficult to win. We still have room to improve,” Jarni said.

While most teams in the league has been suffering with stacked up injury lists, NEUFC have been spared quite of the blows. And their centre-half Kai Heerings, who was taken off against Goa after he sustained a seemingly serious injury, would also be returning for the match against Hyderabad.

“As far as we know now, Kai will be fine for the game,” Jarni concluded.