Pune FC takes on Dempo SC in a crucial I-League Round-17 encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on Saturday.
Speaking at the pre-match Press Conference, Pune FC Coach Karim Bencherifa discussed the recent results, the opponents and the upcoming game.
When asked about the recent results, Coach Bencherifa explained, “There is no secret that we started the league very well and recently our form has dipped a little bit. We missed key players in many encounters and it definitely affected our overall performance in the recent games. We lost against a strong East Bengal side in our last game and it affected us a bit. We have players who are experienced and can deal with these situations but we also have a lot of young players for whom it was a difficult situation because it hit their confidence which is very important to play well.”
He further added, “We have analysed our situation and are aware of that. But I think so far the preparation for this game was with renewed concentration from the players. We discussed the issues we had tactically on the field and worked on them and hopefully in the game tomorrow, we will bounce back with a good performance and a good result.”
Speaking about hosts Dempo SC, Coach Bencherifa said, “Dempo has definitely assembled a squad with the best talented young experienced players in India. A lot of them have played two-three years in the Indian Arrows team and even others. We know that they too have similar problems like us where they couldn’t field all foreigners as well as other key players due to injuries. But despite that, we are not expecting an easy game tomorrow and we will be prepared for the challenge.”
