For the first time in Hero Super Cup, two Hero Indian Super League (ISL) clubs - FC Goa and ATK will lock horns in the pre-quarter finals at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Both the clubs share a rich rivalry and boast of a passionate fan base over the seasons. However, though FC Goa had a fairly successful season thanks to their attacking prowess, the two-time Hero ISL champions finished a lowly ninth on the table.

After a disheartening loss in the Hero ISL semi-final, the Gaurs will be looking to end the season on a high with a silverware to their name. Ahead of the match, their coach Derrick Pereira was present to address the media in the pre-match press conference. “We had a good season after finishing in the bottom of the table last year,” he began. “Sergio Lobera (head coach) has brought in a style which has entertained the Indian crowd. We had a quality set of players and our aim was to qualify for the top four, which we did. We are going with the same idea for this tournament and everybody is serious about getting a good performance and getting a good result.”

Goa have faced ATK multiple times before but Pereira believes that the Hero Super Cup is a completely different ball game. “We are expecting a different type of game,” he admitted. “We have seen their matches. We are just focusing on our game. We are happy to play an ISL team because the I-League teams want to prove a point. Nothing is easier in any form of football. We just have to put in our best performance and see what happens.”

On being asked how different Hero ISL and Hero I-League are from one another, the 56-year old inferred, “There is not much difference. It all depends on how the team approaches the tournament. We had two weeks off after the ISL got over. The ISL teams were well set before the tournament started whereas the I-League teams had to make a lot of changes.”

On the other hand, present from ATK’s end to address the media was their assistant coach Bastab Roy. He stressed on the fact that the Kolkata-based outfit was well prepared for the challenge and had been working together for the past three weeks to make a mark in the Hero Super Cup. When asked how ATK evaluate their opponent, Roy shared, “Goa play as a team. They have a good mix of foreigners and Indian players. They have a well-balanced team.”