“We play football for our fans,” says East Bengal boss Stephen Constantine ahead of the Odisha FC clash

East Bengal have shown encouraging signs in the recent matches and after the win against Bengaluru FC away from home, they believe that they can win more matches. The morale is high and head coach Stephen Constantine is happy with the commitment that the players are showing on the training ground and also on the pitch.

The Red and Golds will once again aim for three points as they will host Odisha FC at the Salt Lake Stadium. Josep Gombau’s men are in good form and it will be a challenge for East Bengal to continue their winning run.

The fixture has a history of being very high scoring as 28 goals have been scored in just four encounters. However Constantine’s aim this time is to solidify the defense and strive for a clean sheet once again.

Speaking ahead of the Odisha FC game, Constantine reminisced the positives that he and his team will carry to this fixture. He highlights how keeping a clean sheet was a very important thing for them as he credited Spanish defender Ivan Gonzalez for a solid outing against the Blues.

“The immediate positive was the clean sheet and the three points. One of the reasons for that clean sheet is sitting next to me (Ivan Gonzalez). We needed a good performance. We needed a 90-minute performance. I think we got that against Bengaluru FC and keeping the clean sheet is a bonus. I am very happy with that,” Constantine highlighted.

When asked about the high scoring nature of the fixture, Constantine dismissed it completely as he credited the opponents and their coach Josep Gombau but does not want to hold on to the past any more. He shared how his team is preparing to face Odisha FC and is looking forward to a good performance from his men.

“I don’t care about last year or the year before. I think they have a very good side. They’re coached very well by Joseph Gombau. And he has an idea of how he wants the game to be played. We’ve watched them, we are preparing for them and I cannot predict how many goals will be in the game, but I hope it’s a clean sheet and I hope we win,” the Englishman shared.

Lastly Constantine acknowledged the support that he got from the East Bengal fans away from home in bengaluru and felt that it is a pleasure for them to play anywhere and still have fans cheering for them.

“You need support in this world. You need people who are going to. look after you and this is what our fans do. They look after us. You go home and away, there will be more Bengalis than some of the home teams. One or two teams are exceptions. The fans support the team. We tried every day to improve. We try every day to give them the joy of three points, qualifying and winning. This is why we play football for the fans, so we need them to support us,” Constantine acknowledged.

East Bengal are currently in eighth position with two wins out of six games. While there win against Bengaluru FC was a good result they need to constantly push for more results and pick up points if they want to move up the points table.