"The most important game of the season": Punjab FC head coach calls out about the match's importance as they face SC Delhi

Punjab FC are unbeaten against SC Delhi

Punjab FC is set to gear up for their next match against SC Delhi, which promises to be an impressive game in the Indian Super League 2025-26 season. The Shers will visit the JLN Stadium, Delhi, in an away fixture to face the home side on May 2nd, 2026, from 19:30 IST.

Punjab FC might aim for another three points as they will enter the pitch as clear favourites despite being visitors. On the other hand, at home it’s a good chance to gain all points and fix a good momentum in the ISL.

Ahead of the game against SC Delhi, head coach of Punjab FC, Panagiotis Dilmperis, addressed the media in the pre-match press conference.

Punjab FC eye crucial win against SC Delhi

Panagiotis Dilmperis calls out about the importance of the match as they will face SC Delhi next, many were talking about this game, as the “North India Derby”. Punjab FC eyes a comfortable win over them as he thought that it would be a high-stakes game.

“So it’s one difficult game for us against, first of all, a good team with some good players. A coach that his own style of playing. And the impact on his team is very obvious. And a couple of more things make this game difficult for us. The first is that we have played a couple of friendly games. At the moment, Delhi was not ready to make transfers, etc. But we have the same style of playing.”

“I have shared all these difficulties with my players. And we agreed that it will be a tough game. And if we want to take the three crucial, important points for our lifting up to the standings, we have to try harder. And we have to play, of course, our style of playing, but the best way that we can. One thing is that Punjab and Delhi are two teams that use a lot of young players. Punjab, we use a lot of young players. Our mentality is one match at a time. The most important game of the season is this one.”

Importance of using young players in ISL

The head coach of the Shers pointed out the importance of young players to have in the squad in ISL. Both teams heavily rely on their young prospects, but SC Delhi has a slight advantage in this regard.

“The young players, I do believe that Delhi has the advantage because they are almost complete, their target for the season. It means that they are seven points away from relegation.”

“And with Mohammedan, not a few games left over. So they don’t have so much anxiety. On the other hand, we are still fighting with these two games that we haven’t played yet. And we want to go high in the standings. So all the pressure is on us. And this is the crucial moment and the crucial thing and the difference between the two teams.”

Defensive record is the key for Punjab FC

“Statistics are important, but many factors decide the result. We must stay humble and focused on our abilities,” he said. He further stressed defensive discipline: “We shouldn’t let them create chances near our box.”

“There are a lot of factors that can move the balance of winning or losing, or tie or draw, to one side or the other. Of course, the past and all these statistics are very, very important and might show something. But at the same time, there are so many factors, as I said, the scenarios that should make us very, very humble. Respect this team. They have a lot of advantages in defending and attacking. It’s, I’m saying again, it’s right what you said, but there are so many things that we have to think about. But mostly, we have to be focused on our abilities. How we will take advantage of our potential, 100%.”

Osuji praises the professionalism in Indian Football

“I mean, about enjoying the game, the league, it’s been a little bit of a surprise for me. Because I didn’t expect the level of professionalism from the clubs, especially from our clubs. So, I can speak about our own side of the team. Because we are all doing everything in detail about the training and the measurement of your fat body. These are the things that I never expected. It came as a surprise to me.”

“Because it’s like being treated as a very, very, very professional club. So, this for me is like the surprise that I didn’t expect. And speaking about the league, it’s been so far, it’s been impressive to me. Because it’s a league where you can see a lot of goals being scored. That means it’s an attacking league. So, for me, it’s very good.”

Injury updates

The coach confirmed injuries to key players but remained confident in the squad’s depth and adaptability.

“First of all, we have Rebello with ACL surgery. Prabhu, a couple of days ago. And Suheel with his soldier. He did the surgery yesterday. We have to wish them from this side to be back healthy and strong. And we miss them, of course. Rotation is something that will depend on the demands of the games. I’m not really fond of the rotation. I’m more fond of what the needs of the game are, what are the needs of the next game.”

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