Bengaluru face Delhi in ISL (Preview)

Despite scoring comfortable victories in their respective opening games, Bengaluru FC and Delhi Dynamos FC are both seeking improvements as they face each other in the second round of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) here on Sunday.

Bengaluru FC defeated Mumbai City FC 2-0 on their Hero ISL debut and Delhi Dynamos bagan their campaign with a 3-2 victory over FC Pune City. The three points won, however, were not good enough for either coach as the men in charge sought to fine-tune their gameplans.

"I was not so happy about the performance. It's not just a question of winning but how. We are on our way to do it. Everyone likes to win but coaches are never happy," said Bengaluru FC coach Alberto Roca at the pre-match press conference ahead of their match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

The Spanish coach said his team still has "some scope for improvement" before they embark on a tough phase where they will play three games away, and reiterated that they will first aim to be among the top four from where they can launch a hunt for the title.

"Delhi will be a tough game. I know the (Delhi) coach. He has huge experience behind him. I saw only one game of Delhi and you can see how organised they are and also the idea they have behind their game. We have to be ready for a battle," said Roca.

Delhi started their campaign with an easy victory over FC Pune City. They scored three goals in the opening half and conceded two goals in the second session, something that was not to coach Miguel Angel Portugal's liking.

"We need improvements in defence. I am happy with the players in attack but in defence we must improve," said the coach.

Bengaluru and Delhi both adopt a similar style of play and love to keep the ball with them. Both teams had over 60 per cent ball possession and despite having similar styles, Portugal said they will not be the ones to veer away from their philosophy.

"Bengaluru has a good coach in Roca and he plays a similar game like my team. They fight. We will play a normal game," he said, while being lavish in his praise of Bengaluru FC, a team he described as "consistent, solid and compact."

--IANS

pur/vm