"We aren't going to Mumbai for holidays" - NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali

NorthEast United FC head coach Juan Pedro Benali has stated that his team will try their best to make things difficult for Mumbai City FC when they face each other on Tuesday, March 12.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the upcoming clash at the Mumbai Football Arena, the 54-year-old gaffer heaped praise on the hosts by terming them a "very strong team". He said:

"In Mumbai, we face a very strong team that is playing for the Shield. But we aren't going there for holidays. We will try to make it the most difficult game possible for them, enjoy the game, feel football and make it historical. This day and this game will never come back again. I don't look at the table. We are focussing on Mumbai City FC."

"Sometimes, the team doesn't know what to do" - Juan Pedro Benali

In the six matches they have played since the league restarted, the Highlanders have won two, with two games ending in a stalemate apart from the two defeats. Their recent home fixture against Punjab FC ended in a 1-0 loss as Wilmar Jordan's 62nd-minute penalty strike gave the visitors the three points.

Reflecting on the game against the latest ISL entrants which did not go in their favor, the optimistic boss asserted:

"Punjab is the past. The performance wasn't bad. That's the most important thing. Our objective is clear. Every game we try to perform and try to do new things."

Expressing his thoughts on NorthEast United FC's goal and the extent to which they have achieved their target, Juan Pedro Benali sounded confident about the process of team building. He opened up by saying:

"Our goal was to build a team and slowly we are arriving at that target. We want to build a hungry team, a fighting team, a team that plays and a team that knows our history. Sometimes, the team doesn't know what to do, but that doesn't mean it's not working."

The Spaniard also clarified that his team doesn't want to take the pressure of reaching the playoffs as they have nothing to lose further. He thus went on to add:

"We don't want to take the pressure of reaching the playoffs. Let the other teams think about that. We are just focussing on Mumbai and we will see later. We have nothing to lose playing against a team like Mumbai City FC. So we must go out and enjoy."

Juan Pedro Benali's men are currently placed ninth in the ongoing 2023-24 ISL points table with 20 points from 18 matches, thereby trailing the sixth-placed Jamshedpur FC by a solitary point. With four matches remaining, NorthEast United FC have a bright chance of making it to the playoffs if they can secure as many points as possible from those games.