NorthEast United FC have received their much-awaited first-win in the Indian Super League this season and they will be expected to be full of confidence as they get set to host champions Atletico de Kolkata at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.
Cesar Farias' side got the much-needed first three points of the season as they beat a high-flying Chennaiyin FC with a 2-0 margin in their previous home game, courtesy of goals from marquee player Simao Sabrosa and Nico Velez.
Their opponents, however, come into the game at the backdrop of a first loss in the ISL this season -- against current league leaders FC Pune City.
And while Kolkata still look as the better team on-paper to record a favourable result on the day, nothing can be taken away from NorthEast United FC, who will be looking for their home advantage once more to record a good result, and move up from the bottom spot once again.
"We believe in the work we put in and in our team chemistry. Today [winning against Chennaiyin FC] we shook off our defeats in front of our crowd, we were indebted to them and we hope that the stadium is full and packed when we play the champions [Atletico de Kolakta] in our next game," Farias said after their last game in the ISL.
"The game is going to be very tough, like every other game in the league. Thank you for your patience, tonight we sleep in peace and we feel we are becoming more and more part of NorthEast," the ex-Venezuela head coach added.
Even Antonio Habas, head coach, Atletico de Kolkata, is not giving up and he is willing to making a strong comeback after getting their first defeat of the season in their previous game.
"We will recover; I will have to prepare the team for our next game [against NorthEast United FC]," the Spanish coach said after their last game.
"We have to have confidence in the team because today before the game [against Pune], Atlético de Kolkata was the only one team unbeaten. I know people will say this was bad and catastrophic, but the idea is to get to the final four. We will battle games mentally and physically," Habas added.
Where to watch live
NorthEast United FC vs Atletico de Kolkata is scheduled for a 7pm IST (2.30pm BST, 9.30am ET) start, with live TV coverage in India on Star Sports 2, Star Sports HD2, Star Sports 3, Star Sports HD3, Star Gold, Star Utsav (both Hindi), Jalsha Movies (Bengali), Jaya Max (Tamil) and Asianet Movies (Malayalam) and Suvarna TV (Kannada).
LIVE streaming will be available on Hotstar and Starsports.com.
Viewers in the US and Australia can catch the game live on Fox Sports, while the online live stream option is on Foxsoccer2go and Foxtel. Viewers in Canada can watch the Indian Super League 2015 game live on CBN and ATN.
Eurosport is the place to be if viewers in Europe and South East Asia want to watch the game live. The match can also be live streamed on Eurosport Player.
Viewers in the UK can watch the match live on Star Gold, while Middle East and North Africa viewers can catch the action live on OSN, with live streaming option on OSN Play.
