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Bengaluru FC's coach Albert Roca has insisted that his team will not "sit back and defend" in the second leg of their AFC Cup semifinal against Johor Darul Ta'zim. Bengaluru drew their away leg in Malaysia 1-1, and a clean sheet at home on Wednesday will secure their place in history as the first ever Indian club to reach the final of the competition. Roca, however, felt that "playing with a defensive mindset" was not the way to go, and that Bengaluru will need to be "brave" again if they are to get a positive result. "It's a good opportunity for us and for the country. We have to be brave again because that's how we got the result in Malaysia," Roca said. "Circumstances will change this time because our supporters will be there, which makes a big difference, but this is still a very difficult game with a very competitive team. We are focused and we will do our best to reach the final." Since Roca took over as Bengaluru's head coach, the team has adopted a more possession-based approach, noticeably playing out of the back whenever possible, and aiming to dominate the midfield. However, Bengaluru have been far from lethal up front, scoring just two goals in Roca's three games in charge; against Tampines Rovers in the quarterfinals, the team missed several good chances to put the tie to bed, something Roca admitted he needed to address, especially since Johor will be missing key players in Juan Martin Lucero and Jorge Diaz. "We haven't been scoring too many goals but we are defending well. Balance is everything in football and we are trying to be compact as a side. It could be the biggest mistake for us to think that this game will be easier because of Johor's suspensions. If we think that it's going to be easier by even five per cent, we are going to commit errors and I have conveyed this even to the players." Roca, who served as an assistant to Frank Rjikaard at Barcelona between 2003 and 2008, said that Wednesday's semifinal was one of the biggest games of his managerial career, since it could be "something special for Indian football". "I consider that this is a very important match for Indians because only two teams have reached the semifinals and none have reached the final. The people are realising that this could be special for Indian football. "As for me, I try to be calm because I want the team to be calm as well. I do not want them to be overconfident because this is a game of football and there will be more such games in the future. As of now, there is a game tomorrow and we will try to do our best."
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