There's a huge difference between ISL and I-League: Staikos Vergetis

NEW DELHI: Punjab FC (PFC) will face Hyderabad FC on Tuesday, 7th November in Round 7 of the Indian Super League 2023-24 season which will be played here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 8 p.m.This is the Shers second home match of the season and the team will be aiming to gather all three points from the game against former ISL Cup Winners Hyderabad FC, a media release said.

Speaking ahead of the game, PFC Head Coach, Staikos Vergetis said, “In the last game, the opponent was very strong and they put us in a difficult situation. The red card was bad because it was an important player for us but in football or real life you cannot cry. You have to get up and go on. This is what we're going do now. Of course, this is a challenging year for us, it's our first season in the ISL. As professional players, coaches and staff we are all facing this situation in India for the first time and it's a challenging situation but we are enjoying participating in the league. I have said before, there's a huge difference between ISL and I-League - from one area to another the ball travels very fast in ISL. We have to adapt and this is something new which we have to develop.

PFC went down to Mumbai City FC 2-1 in their last match at the Mumbai Football Arena after leading the match for 82 minutes. Hyderabad FC drew their last encounter against Bengaluru FC which was played in Hyderabad.

PFC midfielder Brandon Vanlalremdika, during the pre-match press conference said, “We have to focus more and do well. And in a time like this, what we can do is work harder and that's what we are doing. We all are playing football and for me ISL or I-League is the same but to perform better I just have to work harder and listen to my coach and try to improve myself”.

Punjab FC are 12th on the table with two points from six matches while Hyderabad FC are 11th on the table with two points from five matches.