Odisha is team with great players and good coach: Juan Pedro Benali

NorthEast United head coach Juan Pedro Benali also shared an important injury update on Manvir Singh.

NorthEast United FC will return to action against Odisha FC in Bhubaneswar for their sixth game of the ISL 2023-24 season. The Highlanders come into this game after a cinematic comeback victory over Jamshedpur FC last week.

But, here they’ll go up against a mighty Odisha FC who have been in top form. The Juggernauts have registered solid results in both their continental and domestic games. Ahead of the fixture, NorthEast United’s head coach Juan Pedro Benali and defender Michel Zabaco addressed the media.

Thoughts on Odisha FC

The head coach shared his thoughts on Odisha FC and said that that they are a great team with great players.

“They are a great team with great players and a good coach. We just need to keep going and this is the lesson we take from their last game. If we don’t kill, we get killed, that’s what we understood,” he quipped.

Dropping points away from home

The Highlanders have dropped four points in their last two away games. Speaking on the same, Juan Pedro Benali said, “We played against two difficult teams, especially against Punjab FC where they needed to pick up a point. I will say it again that the field in Delhi is a very difficult field to play in as it is very hard. And against Kerala Blasters, it was a great point because it is very difficult for teams to get points from them.”

Update on Manvir Singh

NorthEast United’s hard working forward Manvir Singh has now missed two games on the trot. When asked about his return to the team, the Spaniard said that the forward has started the rehabilitation process and will join the group after the break.

“Manvir is in the process of rehab now. He has started to work on the field and during the break he’ll be working more. He will join the group after the break,” he asserted.

Michel Zabaco’s comments

Thoughts on the last game

Michel Zabaco has been in red hot form for the Highlanders. He has now won two back-to-back man of the match awards and also scored a crucial goal in the last game. Sharing his thoughts about the last fixture, the defender said, “I think we played a good game. They scored first but we continued to pass. We had more chances and I was lucky to score my first goal. I feel a clean-sheet is important for us. I want to thank our supporters, teammates and the staff,” he signed off.

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