"The team is performing well" - Odisha FC head coach ahead of ISL clash against FC Goa

A struggling Odisha FC side will square off against FC Goa, one of the other ISL teams meandering in the bottom half of the Indian Super League standings, on Tuesday. However, head coach Kino Garcia believes, irrespective of the results, the team has been performing well.

The Juggernauts are currently eighth in the ISL points table with 17 points from 13 games. Ahead of the game, the new gaffer said:

"I think in the last few matches, the team is performing well, we are improvising in some aspects. We didn’t (just) win or get points but the performance was very good."

In their previous game, Odisha FC suffered a frustrating 3-2 loss against Hyderabad FC even after taking the lead early on. When asked about the positives he took from the loss, the Odisha FC boss said:

"The team is brave enough to replicate the things that we are trying in training. They have the confidence and they have the will of improving. We are trying to create more chances using spaces. The team was in good order when we wanted to press. The players are doing what the staff wants to implement."

Speaking about the game against FC Goa, Kino Garcia opined:

"It is going to be a top game. Even FC Goa is not in a good position on the table. I don’t think they deserve that. In some moments, the team is going to struggle because we are not going to have the ball and we will close spaces. They can move the ball really well. Our challenge will be to take the ball from them."

Check out the ISL winners list here.

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"Learning from them is a proud moment" - Odisha FC defender Gaurav Bora on playing with experienced foreigners

Meanwhile, Odisha FC defender Gaurav Bora was also present at the pre-match conference. The young centre-back has broken into the Juggarnauts' starting lineup this season.

Asked about the season so far, the 23-year-old said:

"It has been good. We have been working really hard with everyone. We have been improving with coaches and everybody."

In response to a query about playing alongside experienced players like Hector Rodas and Victor Mongil, Bora said:

"It is a good learning experience for me. They have played at the top level and learning from them is a proud moment for me and I’m taking all the necessary lessons from them."