We need to carry on the performance from previous game, asserts Petr Kratky

Alberto Noguera, who joined Petr Kratky at the press conference, spoke about how the players are pushing themselves in training.

In an eagerly anticipated clash, Mumbai City FC are poised to face Bengaluru FC at their home ground, with high hopes of securing a crucial victory. With Bengaluru FC struggling to find their form in the ongoing ISL 2023-24 season, Mumbai City FC sees this as a prime opportunity to claim all three points and bolster their position in the league standings.

Manager Petr Kratky is banking on his players to carry forward the positive momentum from their recent performance against East Bengal. The boss will be hoping that his team, with a blend of tactical acumen and individual brilliance, defeat Bengaluru FC at the Mumbai Football Arena.

Let’s take a look at what head coach Petr Kratky and midfielder Alberto Noguera had to say in the pre match press conference:

A confidence Boost

The Islanders were simply too good against East Bengal on Tuesday, even though the match finished with just a 1-0 scoreline. The team dominated in every aspect of the game and were eventually rewarded with the victory. When asked about the confidence within the squad, Kratky replied, “Before we went to play East Bengal, we had a home game where we were winning 2-0 but lost 3-2 We were thinking about how we can bounce back. We are a group and we had very good training sessions and the boys also performed well; there was a desire to bounce back. The performance we displayed in the last game is what we need to carry on for the next one.”

Helping the team

Iker Guarrotxena’s early first-half strike proved to be the decider between Mumbai City FC and East Bengal. It was all about Guarrotxena’s brilliance in the six-yard box, but the ball was played to him by Noguera. When asked how he feels about it, the Spaniard replied, “I am always glad to help the team in any way. I hadn’t been playing in the first part of the season, but I am back and I’ll try to get used to the team again. Thank you to be here and I’m glad to help.”

Pushing the team

The team quite well dominated the game against East Bengal and will be hoping to replicate the same against Gerard Zaragoza’s Bengaluru. Noguera highlighted how each player wants to prove themselves. He said, “Everyone wants to play but it’s impossible, so we need to push ourselves in the training. One of the strongest points of our team is we are training well and pushing ourselves. That is the key for a team to play well.”

Boys are Ready

Just before Petr Kratky’s arrival, Mumbai City FC had defeated Bengaluru 4-0 at their home turf. With a new coach at the helm for both teams, it promises to be quite an exciting match to witness. When asked whether the boys are ready for the upcoming clash, the tactician asserted, “The boys are ready. I think it’s all about obligation and how we approach the game. We know Bengaluru, they are a quality team and have a new coach. They have good players, and can hurt us if we let them.”

On Sunil Chhetri

The Indian talisman will be leading the line against Mumbai City FC, and the Islanders need to be wary of him alongside other star players. Petr Kratky too shed light on the same and said, “He is a quality player. He is the captain of Bengaluru. He plays for the national team. Bengaluru are a quality team with quality players. That’s the challenge for our players on the pitch – to make sure how we compete against them.”

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