After a satisfactory end to Hero I-League 2017-18 where they finished fifth on the table, Aizawl FC are raring to go against Chennaiyin FC in the first pre-quarter final of the inaugural Hero Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. Though the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 champions are the favourites to win, Aizawl’s young and talented brigade is ready to spring some surprises on them. The same was mirrored by Aizawl’s Romanian midfielder Andrei Ionescu, who took out some time to speak with supercup.in on the eve of the match. The 30-year old shared his thoughts about the competition and the team’s overall mindset. Here are the excerpts. 

How does it feel to feature in the Hero Super Cup?  

Yes, we are focused on this Super Cup. We are very glad and happy to be here and we are also in the AFC Cup, where we continue our progress. We finished the league, but we still have games left to play. So we are training every day and are at our 100%. We will do our best tomorrow. We know we will face a very tough team. We know they are the champions of the Hero ISL, but we will play our game. So let’s hope that we win. 

As this is a knockout game, will you approach it in a different manner than a league match?  

Yes, probably, but it’s still 90 minutes to go. Every team will put out their best team, their best squad and so everyone is going to give their best. This is a competition and everybody is focused to win. The same with us. We are training and I think, we are ready to win tomorrow. 

What is the mood in the squad like?

The mood is fine. We face a good team. We played a friendly game with them before the season. We lost 1-0 in Chennai, so we know that they have good players. But we are not concerned about that and not focusing on their game. We are focused on our game, so let’s hope for the best. 

This is the first time you will play in Bhubaneswar. Tell us something about that.

Yes, we came in yesterday. Today is our second day here. The weather is okay and the game will be played in the night. So it’s good. It’s not that hot so let’s face the game.