Not going to be easy vs Salgaocar: Sunil Chhetri

Holding the mantle of the leader and carrying the experience of quite a few title challenges during his career, Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri is one of the biggest personalities in the dressing room. With the I-League title almost within grasp, the all-time top scorer for the national team spoke about the upcoming match against Salgaocar on Sunday, the dressing room morale ahead of the crunch tie and the season so far.

Excerpts:

On the potential title match on Sunday: We are trying our best to look at it as any other game. There are a lot of young players or ones who haven’t won the league. We are just taking it easy and trying to keep it a low key as possible. We look to get the three points.

On Salgaocar: They have improved a lot and are a good side. They are safe from relegation, so they will be more eased up as well. It’s not going to be easy.

On missing Eugeneson Lyngdoh and the squad depth: Not having your best player for one and a half month is not the best of scenarios. But even when he was not there, we stuck to our work and made sure that when he was back, we still had a chance for championship. That shows what a good team we have! It is not easy to play when everyone thinks you are going to win. We play 2-3 regular U-22 players every game. That shows how much we believe in the team.

On what it means to win in front of home fans: We just want to win the games for them. The kind of passion, impact and emotion that they bring with them is massive. It is one of the best I have seen in my life.

On his future: I am happy here. With contract until you pen it, you should never say anything. Also I have been here from day one the club was formed, so there is an emotional bond. I have been guilty of changing clubs before but I feel at home here.