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Odisha FC take on Central Coast Mariners in the second leg of their inter-zone playoff semifinal at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
Having lost the first leg 0-4, Sergio Lobera's men have a tall ask on their hands. With the support of the home crowd behind them, the Kalinga Warriors can be expected to put up a strong showing.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Lobera maintained that his team will have to be prepared for the challenges set to come their way. He said:
"Usually, they (Central Coast Mariners) are an amazing team, doing an amazing job. They are one of the best teams in Australia for sure. They won the league last season and they are competing well this season. Unfortunately, the result for us was disappointing in the first leg. We need to lift our spirits."
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He added:
"They are a very strong team; not just individually but as a team as well. Having said that, it is not easy to play at 3:30 PM tomorrow. They are not going to enjoy the game tomorrow, I am sure of this. And we need to be ready."
"They need to play here now, and it is not easy to play at the Kalinga" - Sergio Lobera
Lobera mentioned the fact that in the past, in the same AFC Cup, Odisha had been beaten by Mohun Bagan by a 0-4 scoreline in the first leg.
However, his side had overcome massive challenges to go on and win the second leg by a huge 5-2 scoreline.
He pointed to this fact while saying that anything was possible in football and that his team have not lost hope, saying that they were prepared for a tough fight on Thursday. Lobera said:
"Against Mohun Bagan, in the same competition, the first leg was not good but we came back strongly to win 5-2 in the second leg. In football, everything is possible. They need to play here now, and it is not easy to play at the Kalinga."
He added:
"We know the stadium and we have to be prepared for the challenges coming our way. It will be a mistake if we focus only on one player. The key is that they work well as a team, and we have to be prepared for that."
