Naushad Moosa confirms Juanan is out for the season with injury

The interim coach has plenty of injuries and fitness concerns to deal with in his squad.

Bengaluru FC interim coach Naushad Moosa addressed questions from the media ahead of their clash with bitter rivals Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League. The contest on Friday night holds additional importance to both sides, as they would be gunning for the three points that will keep them in contention for the playoffs.

Bengaluru put an end to their run of eight winless games stretching back to December, as Moosa oversaw his first win as coach against SC East Bengal.

Positive dressing room environment

The win brought the Blues back into the mix for the playoffs and the coach addressed the change in the contingent ahead of the game. "There is a lot of positivity after the game, the players obviously believed in each other.If you saw the game against Hyderabad FC, we didn't make the same mistakes and everyone was cautious.

"Everyone is happy in the dressing room and that is what I wanted to see. These last five games, we have to go out there, the players have to enjoy and not worry about the results, points table."

Chennaiyin's Threat

Naushad Moosa acknowledged the challenge of playing a team like Chennaiyin, who are also in the last-chance salon for a shot at the playoffs. The Marina Machans would also be boosted by the availability of Manuel Lanzarote, who joined in the January transfer window.

Speaking about the opposition on Friday, the coach opined, "I saw Chennaiyin's game against Mumbai City FC and I think they played really well, although it was a draw. I think they suffered because they didn't have their centre-back (Enes Sipovic), but tomorrow if they have all their foreign players available, then it could be very tough for us. We have to be the way we played against East Bengal. We should not allow the penetrative passes in our final third and not give them many scoring opportunities," he added.

Team News

Moosa has a few concerns around his squad selection for Friday night, as he listed a number of players who will and could potentially miss the game like Cleiton Silva, Leon Augustine, Juanan, and Rahul Bheke.

"Leon pulled a hamstring in the last game and that is sad because he played really well for us. Now, he would be out for 2-3 weeks. Rahul (Bheke) won't be playing as he has received four yellow cards. Cleiton was going on with his hamstring, which is why we waited on replacing him. I hope he is fit enough. So, we have to be careful with the injuries."

Further, Naushad Moosa informed that centre-back Juanan would be out for the rest of the season with a tear in his hamstring. He replied, "Juanan is out of the ISL. I think it will take 6-8 weeks. There is a tear in his hamstring, so we won't be having him."