Josep Gombau wary of Ogbeche and Gallego threat, Eelco Schattorie feels Delhi have a strong team

The north Indian side are currently on a winless streak, having last won against Mumbai City FC in February this year.

Lowly positioned Delhi Dynamos will host high-flying NorthEast United in a crunch Indian Super League fixture on 30th October 2018. In what could be an interesting encounter, the capital club are currently in dilemma, as their impressive on-field performances are not getting them results, while the Highlanders are second in the league, with some impressive performers like Bartholomew Ogbeche and Rowllin Borges.

Ahead of their match, the head coaches from both teams met the media to discuss their respective sides and tomorrow's game.

Coach's Corner

Josep Gombau (Delhi Dynamos)

The Spaniard stated that his side are working on their decision-making

The Dynamos have scored three goals and conceded six this season. Although, the numbers don't speak much, the team have created a lot of chances, but failed to convert them. Concerning this issue Josep Gombau said, "I totally agree with you. We need to score goals and from tomorrow we will. Against Mumbai, we had many shots, crosses and other stats, but we just failed to create goals. The boys are working hard. Today, all of us discussed about it and are willing to overcome this lack of confidence tomorrow in front of our fans."

Also, the Dynamos defence seems to be falling to the wrath of counter-attacks, as many goals have been conceded in that way. Regarding this the Spaniard quipped, "True. The issue is that we play attacking football. A lot of time, my team is in the opposition half with the ball. So, when we lose it, there is a big space behind us and opponents are exploiting it. We are working on it and on our decision-making, so that similar mistakes don't happen again."

During the press conference, opposition manager Eelco Schattorie had said that if he would have managed Delhi, they would be in the top three for sure due to their quality. When asked about this comment Gombau responded, "I don't think it is a fair opinion. What he needs to do is his team stays in top four, that's all."

This season, Delhi Dynamos have been performing pretty good on the field. They are making the right passes, good runs, proper crosses, but its just that goals haven't been coming. Regarding this Gombau said, "My players know what they are doing. The statistics support us, but we are not returning back the favour. We deserve more and I hope that tomorrow we turn the tide."

When asked about his thoughts on the combination of NorthEast United's frontmen ( Ogbeche and Federico Gallego) Gombau said, "They are clicking. They are scoring goals and winning matches. Yes, we need to stop them tomorrow." Ogbeche is currently second in the Golden Boot race, while Gallego has assisted plenty of goals.

Eelco Schattorie (Northeast United)

The Dutchman is absolutely happy with his on-fire striker Bartholomew Ogbeche

When asked about his side's upcoming fixture against the Dynamos the NorthEast United gaffer replied, "It is going to be a very difficult game and Delhi have a very good team. With the team they have, surprises me that they are not in the top half of the table. They have an impressive mix of Indian and foreign players. If I would be managing them, it would be top three. I am not being arrogant here. My side has started off the season in a good way. We have a few issues like injuries and it could have an impact tomorrow. We will see."

The Highlanders are currently on an unbeaten run, with two wins and two draws. Regarding carrying the momentum the Dutch tactician said, "You can't control such things. The main thing is morale, which has been good since the start of the season. The atmosphere is good and the players are also brimming with confidence. As I said, Delhi has a very good team. They just need to convert their chances, so tomorrow we will see."

Until now, the Highlanders and the capital club have had contrasting starts to the campaign. When asked if that could have an impact on the game Schattorie said, "There is a difference in playing away and home. We won against Chennai and Goa. It is not about two teams playing each other. Our main aim is to go there and grab the three points."

Ogbeche is second in the league's goalscoring charts currently. Meanwhile, his teammate Federico Gallego is the top assist-maker. Regarding the pair the head coach said, "Obviously I am happy to have them and they are doing good."

When asked if home advantage plays a role in the ISL the former East Bengal head coach said, "The biggest thing is travelling. You need to settle yourself. These things, they have an influence, but in the field, I don't think it affects, but its all about the travelling. Also, if you play against a team with a huge fan-base, that also plays an influence. Overall, it's only the travelling which is the biggest issue.

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Team News

Delhi Dynamos

Marcos Tebar's injury status and his return is still unknown. He suffered a knock to his hamstring during training prior to their home game against ATK.

NorthEast United

The Dutch gaffer revealed that his side has an injury, but he didn't reveal the name of the player.

Probable Lineups

Delhi Dynamos

Dorronsoro, Kotal, Gharami, Crespi, Das, Bikramjit, Gianni, Sekar, Mihelic, Chhangte, Kaluderovic.

Northeast United FC

Pawan Kumar, Reagan Singh, Gurwinder, Mato Grgic, Pereira, Leudo, Rowllin, Okrah, Gallego, Kadam, Ogbeche

Did You Know?

• This is the first time Delhi have been winless in their opening five fixtures.
• NEUFC frontman Ogbeche has scored five goals in four matches for the Highlanders.
• In the eight matches between the two teams, the national capital club has won three games and the Highlanders just two.

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Broadcast

The match will take place on Tuesday at 7:30 PM at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. On television, the match will be live on Star Sports. Meanwhile, it will also be streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.