ISL 2022-23: Small details will decide the ATK Mohun Bagan clash: Odisha FC’s Josep Gombau

Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau reckons small details will decide the crucial match against ATK Mohun Bagan at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar on Thursday. The Kalinga Warriors lost their previous match against FC Goa by 3-0 and they will look to get back to winning ways.

Gombau admitted it will be a difficult game for his team against a tough opposition. Odisha FC has won six out of the nine matches they have played whereas they have suffered three losses. Thus, they are currently in fifth place in the standings with a total of 18 points.

Analyzing his team’s loss against FC Goa, Josep Gombau said, “For sure, we go game by game, and on Thursday, we have a very important game. We’re playing at home against a very good opposition in ATK Mohun Bagan. Last week, we did quite well in Goa, but the result wasn’t on our side. We were 10 men and it was difficult for us, but the performance of the team, the approach of the team, the way we played even with 10 men, I’m very satisfied with the work put in by the players. With this aim and character, we go to the game on Thursday and try to get a positive result here at home.”

Meanwhile, Odisha FC has a terrific record while playing in their own conditions as they have won all four matches at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar.

Sharing his thoughts on the home fixture against the Mariners, Gombau said, “I think it will be a difficult and an equal game as the rest of the (Hero) ISL games are, especially for us. We are working hard and we’ll try to have a good game. For sure, we’ll hope to control the small details that normally decide the game, but there is more than that. For example, take (our) last week’s game (against FC Goa), the game was very equal, the first half, we had control of the game. When we went down to 10 men, it changed the game.”

He added, “I expect games like these where small details can change the game and I hope there are more such details coming from our side as it has happened in a lot of games, and we win the game through a small difference. I hope that Thursday is a big game against a very good team that we respect a lot, but also that we want to compete against them and win the game.”

Gombau added he wants to take one game at a time and not go too far ahead in their thinking.

The gaffer concluded, “We go game by game. The players know this and we don’t see it as we are close to the playoffs, no, we don’t approach it like this. On Thursday, there will be eleven games to go and after Thursday, we will be exactly halfway of the league. We played five games away and five games at home. I hope we get a good result in our game, and this means we have a good record. Every single game is important, the three points are the same against every single team. When this is all finished, we’ll see where we are, and I hope we can reach the playoff spots, which is something nice. It is something we aim to be at, something that the club hasn’t achieved and we would be proud to do it and be in the playoffs.”