The finish line may still be away but the final stretch of the group stage has arrived. And just the final sixth berth stays vacant for the playoff stage as Odisha FC take on Jamshedpur FC in their final league match of the ninth season of Indian Super League (ISL) with hosts Odisha in a promising position to book it.
The Juggernauts, who have never qualified for the knockouts so far, are aware of the crucial nature of Wednesday's fixture as they remain just one point short of clinching the final spot for the next stage. A point added to the 30 in their kitty will make it impossible for seventh-placed FC Goa - with 27 points - to overtake Odisha, in spite of having the better goal difference of the two.
Coach Josep Gambau too knows that a good show would bring to fruition the hard work his team has done towards the later stage of the league stage.
"Wednesday is a very important game. Throughout the season our approach has been game-by-game. It's a game where if we get a good result then we can qualify for the playoffs. Our aim is to play the last game of the season at home and get the three points and after that, we'll see what happens with the other results over the weekend," Gambau said at the pre-match interaction on Tuesday.
"We have all the respect for Jamshedpur FC, a very good team. They won the League Shield last season and they are doing quite well since three-four games and they're getting the results. We know it won't be an easy game but we have the hunger, we want to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in Odisha FC's history."
It is however, a different story for Jamshedpur as they languish on the second last spot on the league table and will be aiming to end their miserable season on a winning note.
"We don't want the season to end, we want it to keep going," Jamshedpur coach Aidy Boothroyd said during Tuesday's media interaction. "So I'm thankful that we've got the Super Cup and a qualifying game in the Champions League. So it's exciting, we've got plenty to play for. Players are playing for places and when some players will get an opportunity that they might not already have had and they grasp that and go with it."
Both teams will have the momentum in their favour at Kalinga Stadium as the Red Miners caused a 3-2 upset against Hyderabad FC in their last game. Odisha put up a dominant show against NorthEast United and won their last away game 3-1.
The price paid for Jamshedpur's win will haunt them for their last match too as defender Eli Sabia will miss the game after a straight red against Hyderabad. However, there was optimistic news for Odisha as they got skipper Carlos Delgado - a key man in their fighting show this season - to extend his contract till 2024.
