ISL 2022-23 | They beat us in the Durand Cup and we haven't forgotten: Odisha FC head coach Josep Gombau ahead of Bengaluru FC clash

In the quarter-finals of the 2022 Durand Cup, Odisha FC (OFC) succumbed to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Bengaluru FC (BFC) after Roy Krishna scored the winner in the 120th minute of extra time.

However, ahead of the first (Indian Super League) ISL 2022-23 meeting between the two teams on Thursday, October 27, OFC head coach Josep Gombau underlined that the Juggernauts will be out for revenge against the Blues.

Bengaluru FC will travel to the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar for the 16th match of the ongoing ISL season.

In a press conference ahead of the game, Gombau stated:

"It is definitely an important game for us. We didn't have much time to prepare for this game as we played Kerala Blasters a few days back but there is hunger in the players to prove themselves on the pitch tomorrow night. BFC is a very good team, they beat us in the Durand Cup and we haven't forgotten that. Tomorrow it will be a good game."

He added:

"We want to use this game as an extra motivation as we lost against them in the 120th minute and how we felt after that. They are a good side with quality players and I respect them but we have our plan in place for them."

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"The team has time and again shown a strong mentality" - Odisha FC boss Josep Gombau lauds his side on their comeback victories

Meanwhile, in their previous game, Odisha FC registered a 2-1 come-from-behind victory against Kerala Blasters. The Yellow Army scored the opening goal in the first half through Harmanjot Singh Khabra. However, goals from Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Pedro Martin sealed the deal for the Kalinga Warriors.

This was OFC's second comeback victory of the season. Even in their opening game against Jamshedpur FC, the Juggernauts roared back after going two goals down to win by a 3-2 margin.

When asked if such performances help in building a strong mentality throughout the team, Gombau replied:

"Yeah for sure. The team has time and again shown a strong mentality during the games. This has instilled a sense of hunger and to fight back when we are down. I encourage them to work hard through the entirety of the 90 minutes we play on the pitch. We have the capacity to go and bring back the game."

Despite their performances after conceding first, Gombau will be hoping for his side to finish the business against Bengaluru FC without all the added drama.