Manjeri (Kerala), April 15 Sreenidi Deccan FC will face the reigning champion of the I-League, RoundGlass Punjab FC in their final group stage game of the Hero Super Cup 2023 at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium, here on Sunday, hoping to clinch a spot in the semifinals.
It will be a potentially do-or-die encounter for Sreenidi Deccan as they are level on points with Group A counterparts Bengaluru FC, who simultaneously face Kerala Blasters on the same day. The Carlos Vaz Pinto-led side will need to win by a bigger margin than Bengaluru, in order to seal their spot in the semifinals.
RoundGlass Punjab, on the other hand, have nothing to play for but pride, when they face Sreenidi Deccan. The Mohali-based side had an underwhelming campaign in the tournament with two losses in two games against the Blues and the Yellow Army. With a game in hand, they will look to bow out on a positive note.
Head coach Staikos Vergetis insisted that the results in the previous games will not have an impact on the team's mentality going into the game. "The pressure is the same, no matter what. The discipline and respect for the opponents, these things never change. We will go out there seriously with our tactical plan to do our best in this game," stated the Greek tactician.
The two teams faced each other twice during the I-League season and both registered a win and a loss. At the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, RoundGlass found the upper edge with a 2-1 victory while in the return leg at the Deccan Arena, Sreenidi registered a huge 4-0 win.
Speaking about the past results, Vergetis added, "Tomorrow's game is different from those in the league. We have to approach the game with the same determination as the previous games. We'll try to be very competitive and are looking to end the season in a better way."
Meanwhile, Pinto reiterated Vergetis' words to assert that the results between the two sides in their previous meetings will not affect the performance.
"There isn't really an advantage with respect to what happened in the two league games. It's a different story from a different competition and a different moment in time. Tomorrow's game will be a new chapter and we have to be fully focused to win," he expressed.
The Sreenidi Deccan boss did acknowledge, however, the fact that his side will be confident going into the match, courtesy of the 4-0 win over RoundGlass during the Hero I-League season. "The previous win does give us confidence, but it will not have much bearing. The players, the coaches and the clubs know each other so it will be a difficult game. We will need to be at our best to get a good result," concluded Pinto.
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