KOLKATA: Luis Garcia, the marquee signing of Atletico de Kolkata conceded that FC Goa are in a fine form but also stressed that the hosts back themselves to earn a favourable result from Sunday’s semi-final.
“I know Goa has been doing very good for the last few games. Again this is a semi-final and we knew we would find a good team here. There are no bad teams in the semi-finals because certainly they have done something good (to be here). But we also did something good and that’s why we are here. We have to look at ourselves and go about it the way we have been going for the whole tournament,” the former Liverpool player told.
The skipper of the side informed that the team’s target is to qualify for the finals and despite the injury issues creeping up, they are ready to deal with the pressure.
“It does not matter where you are playing. Every team has the same pressure to play a semi-final. For us, it has been a hard way to get into the semis and we would like to stay alive in the tournament till the 20th of December. Our main target is that. We have two games to do it and we are going to go for it,” said the former Champions League winner when asked whether the pressure this time around is more than the other important matches he had played in his career.
Though FC Goa coach Zico claimed that Atletico would have an upper hand in the game because of their better adaptation to the Astroturf,, Garcia refused to agree with the Brazilian manager.
“Astroturf is not an advantage for anybody, believe me. It’s true that we have been working here (for quite some time now) and we have adapted better than the other teams. But believe me, this will not be something good for us or something good for them. Hopefully you will see a good game, but at the end of the day, the pitch is bad,” he said.
Garcia also mentioned that the second leg of the semi-finals would be crucial although the away goals rules doesn’t exist in the Indian Super League (ISL).
“Normally in semi-finals of most tournaments, the second leg is the one that decides who goes through. We can’t do anything about that (away goal rule). Rules are rules,” he opined.
The former Barcelona player also spoke about the way the team wants to approach the semi-final clash, given its different stature compared to the league games.
“It’s totally different. You have been working so far to reach here, but right now, there is nothing else. When you play the second game of the tournament, you think that ‘Okay, I didn’t play well but that I still have 12 more games.’ But right now, there’s nothing else. Either you take it and go through or you go home. That’s the way you change your mind. You will have to give your 100 per cent because there is no tomorrow,” he said.
