Dhaka, March 2: Ahead of taking to the field in the grand final of the ongoing Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup 2017 on Friday (03.03.2017), the finalist teams’ coaches and captains talked about their thoughts and plans to lift the trophy during a pre-match press conference in the conference room of M. A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong on Thursday.

TC Sports Club’s head coach Nizam Mohamed said, “It’s going to be a tough game. Life won’t be easy for us. My only focus is to win the game. We’ll be ready and prepared to register the win.”

When asked that Pocheon Citizen FC would be a tough opponent as they made it to the final beating defending champions Chittagong Abahani, the TC head coach said, “I think they should have the same feeling as we beat the current local league champion. So, it’s the same thing.”

“The only thing that matters is the game between them and us and how the players walk on the field tomorrow,” he added.

When asked about his favourites to win the final after being reminded about their 1-1 draw with Pocheon in the group stage, Nizam Mohamed said, “It’s better if we don’t talk about favourites and underdogs because in football, there doesn’t exist any. On a bad day, even the world champions could be beaten by a lower ranked team.”

Asked about his confidence to lift the trophy on Friday, Nizam said, “I’m confident enough but not over confident. Pocheon will also come out to the field to win the game. So, we should respect them.”

Asked if an extra rest-day gives his players an edge against the opponents, Nizam said, “It’s definitely a chance to do better recovery. But the question of an edge is subjective. It depends on how we did our recovery and how they did theirs.”

Nizam Mohamed also stated that his team no longer has any injury problem as his injured Egyptian defender had already recovered before the semi final match.

The head coach of the Maldivian team concluded his speech by thanking the football community of Chittagong and Bangladesh in general.

After Nizam Mohamed, the head coach and captain of Pocheon Citizen FC talked to reporters at the press conference.

Pocheon Citizen FC head coach Kim Jae Young said, “First of all, we are very happy that we made it to the final. Now, our target is to win the game.”

Defender Cho Tae Woo said, “Our path to the final wasn’t easy. It was topsy-turvy. But now as we’ve made it to the final, our target is to take the trophy back home.”

Talking about opponents TC Sports Club, Pocheon coach Young said, “First of all, I want to say that, we took them lightly in the group phase and paid the price as we were held to a 1-1 draw. So, this time, we’ll be better prepared and if our player can do what they do best, then we should win the game.”

The final will be played at the M.A. Aziz Stadium, Chittagong at 6:30pm on Friday (03.03.2017).