NEUFC players train in the rain at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati
Their only win of the season so far came in a home game against Jamshedpur FC more than a month ago. But NorthEast United FC will look to change the script when they take on FC Goa at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.But the going will not be an easy one for the hosts as they will not have their talismanic coach Juan Pedro Benali on the touchline. Benali was sent off after an eventful last match against Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Guwahati venue that was interrupted by rain, and followed by chaos after the final whistle in NEUFC’s narrow 0-1 loss to the leaders.“We will miss the presence of the head coach on the touchline. Our job as a staff is to make sure the players are ready for the game. The head coach has been with us throughout the training week, so nothing has changed in terms of match preparations,” said Amogh Adige, the NEUFC assistant coach who will be in charge of the team.The 25-year-old Adige, who has also worked with the India U-23 national team, will become the youngest one to manage a side in an ISL match, surpassing Noel Joseph’s record (27 years, 256 days) with the Kerala Blasters that was set against NEUFC earlier this month.With forecast of thunderstorm on Friday evening, the rain God might once again play a role in the game’s outcome.NEUFC are currently 12th in the standings with seven points from nine matches. Adige, however, was confident of the Highlanders’ preparations before taking on the Manolo Marquez-coached Gaurs, who sit on third spot in the ISL table with four wins, including a 2-0 victory in their last match against second-placed Mumbai City FC.“Goa are doing well. They’re in the top three as we speak. But we approach all games in a same manner in terms of our preparation,” explained Adige.“We know what their strengths are, what they do well in the attacking areas, how they are threatening on set pieces and things like that. So, we have worked on those areas over the week. We are confident, especially if you take the momentum from the last 45 minutes that we played against Mohan Bagan here, there are real positives to take into the next game. There’s positive feeling and energy around the place. We are looking forward for a competitive game for the three points.”However, with the injury to their defender Ankith Padmanabhan in the last match – with the shoulder joint dislocation likely to keep him out for the season – the NEUFC defence will have their tasks cut out to stop the likes of Goa’s Dejan Dražić, Ishan Pandita, and Daniel Lalhlimpuia.Even Marquez lamented the injury sustained by the youngster on a flooded pitch.“I want to send a message of support to Ankith because it was very unlucky. This always happens in football. But when you play in these conditions, you have more possibilities. This kind of things happen. Fortunately, it was only one because it could have happened to more players,” Marquez said on Thursday.With forecast of 70% chance of thunderstorm, the Spaniard looked to avoid a rainy encore at the venue and hoped to script their first win against the Highlanders in Guwahati.“It’s one game, 90 or 100 minutes and the team who play better will win. We need to play better than them. That’s all,” added Marquez.
