Josep Gombau: We want to qualify for playoffs for first time in club's history

The Odisha FC tactician understands it won't be an easy game.

Odisha FC are set to take on Jamshedpur FC in their next Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) fixture. Josep Gombau's men have to secure a win in order to ensure a berth in the playoffs. The race for the playoffs is almost over. There is only one spot left and Odisha FC will go through if they get even a point against the Men of Steel.

The head coach of Odisha FC talked to the media in the pre-match press conference ahead of the game. He talked about how the upcoming game will be tough and he expects his players to secure the point.

Here are the excerpts:

An important game

Odisha FC must avoid defeat and hope FC Goa fail to win in order to reach the ISL playoffs for the first time in the club's history. Talking about the crucial last league game of the season, Josep Gombau said, "Wednesday is a very important game. Throughout the season our approach has been game-by-game. It's a game where if we get a good result then we can qualify for the playoffs. Our aim is to play the last game of the season at home and get the three points and after that, we'll see what happens with the other results over the weekend."

Respect for Jamshedpur FC

The tactician is not underestimating JFC by any means. "We have all the respect for Jamshedpur FC. They are a very good team, they won the League Shield last season and are doing quite well since (the past) three-four games and they're getting the results. We know it won't be an easy game but we have the hunger. We want to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in Odisha FC's history," the mentor said.

Need for a positive start

Josep Gombau also talked about not repeating the mistakes of the reverse fixture. He expects his team to start positively. In this regard, he said, "We need to start the game strongly and we need to show that we're the team that needs to win because for us the win is very important and I expect we go for the game from the first minute. Every single game is different but with this hunger and concentration, we need to get the result on Wednesday in front of our fans."

Carlos Delgado's contract extension

Odisha FC secured a new deal with defender Carlos Delgado and the head coach was delighted to talk about it during the press conference. He said, "It's very good news. Carlos is our captain, he's a person who deserves this contract. He's committed to the team and it's also good for the team to have this continuity of having the same players from one year to the next year, to build this project."