The final quarter-final of the Hero Super Cup 2019 will pit Chennaiyin FC against NorthEast United FC at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday. Both sides will be eager to claim a spot in the semi-finals and hand themselves a chance to win silverware this season.

Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory, at the pre-match briefing, spoke about the team's preparations for Sunday’s match. "We have obviously been travelling. We have had one day to recover from the AFC Cup game. But our focus is now the game against NorthEast. The boys are ready and all of them are raring to go," he said.

"I’ve got a fit squad which has always been a benefit for me. I've got everybody to choose from. We’ve got no real injury doubts. It's brilliant to have Dhanpal Ganesh back after missing the Hero ISL season. To have him back at such a crucial time is a real pleasure," he added.

The Englishman, then, gave his opinion about the opposition and stated, "We had a poor Hero ISL season and NorthEast had a fantastic season. First time ever they qualified for the semis. The coach and his players should get a lot of credit for having such a great season. But we now move to the Hero Super Cup. We are confident after having beaten Mumbai City FC in the previous round but they are the favourites."

Asked if the lack of goals worried him, Gregory said, "Goalscoring has been an issue all season. Look at the top four, the boys who qualified for the Hero ISL semi-finals have all got an outstanding goal scorer in their team. This was one area we didn’t do well in. Jeje (Lalpekhlua) has scored two in his last two appearances. CK Vineeth scored a couple of goals since he’s been with us. They need a bit of time playing together as a partnership."

Gregory was accompanied by Dhanpal Ganesh at the presser and the midfielder revealed how relieved he was having put his injury behind him. "I’m so happy to be back in the team. I would like to thank the coach and management because they worked a lot on me in rehabilitation. I’m so happy. I’m focused on winning," he said.

From the Highlanders camp, head coach Eelco Schattorie had his say on the upcoming fixture. "We faced Chennaiyin two times in the league and won two times. One was a comeback after being 3-1 behind. The second match at home, we won convincingly. So, we have to be careful because they will be more motivated. A cup game is all or nothing. So, we need to be very sharp," Schattorie said.

The Dutchman, however, claimed that the team's preparations haven’t been ideal. "The preparation for this match didn’t go smoothly. At this moment, I have in total 15 players plus two goalkeepers. From those, one is suspended, and one can only play 15-20 mins. That means I have in total of 13 players. That is a very small group. That is not an excuse, but it is relevant. We will go all out. We will go for the win," he remarked.

Read the Match Preview here.