Mohammedan Sporting coach Kibu Vicuna said on Friday that no matter what the situation, playing at this venue is always tough. “We know that whenever you come to Srinagar, things are going to be tough because of the quality Real Kashmir have. The unusual weather and pitch obviously make it doubly difficult.”
He also did not think there was anything in their win in Kolkata that his team can learn from. “The conditions are very different, the squads have changed and even Real Kashmir’s coach has changed,” he said.
However, the Spanish coach said he and his team have worked on their own game accordingly.
It has become clear that neither of these two teams are in the running for the I-League title. It is more about survival now. Both Vicuna and Williams are trying to win as many points as possible in the last few matches to avoid the drop. Vicuna’s boys have been either unlucky or wasteful many a time this season to be in the eighth spot with 20 points from 17 matches.
Noel-Williams is expecting a tough fight from the Black and White Brigade because “they have some exciting players as well as some very experienced ones.”
His penchant for playing attractive football shone through when he said, “We’re in front of our home fans, so we’re excited to score goals and win.”
Talking about the first-leg defeat to the same opponent, he said, “That won’t create pressure on my players. Had I been the coach back then, it could have. But I have come with a new philosophy, new tactics. So whatever happened before doesn’t matter.”
“I’m very happy with what the boys have achieved in the two games we played since I took charge,” he added. Williams also indicated that he could tweak a couple of things tomorrow to surprise Mohammedan Sporting.
The match will be telecast live on Eurosport, DD Sports and Discovery Plus OTT platform from 2pm IST.