Juru taktik Punjab FC itu menyadari ekspektasi tinggi yang diemban sejak awal menangani klub barunya dan menegaskan identitas klubnya yang selalu menuntut prestasi tinggi.

"When I signed in this club, I knew how demanding this club is.

I love this kind of demanding because finally it means you are in the biggest club in India.

We cannot be happy finishing in the second position," kata Panagiotis Dilmperis.

Pemain sayap Punjab FC, Ninthoinganba Meetei, turut membagikan perjuangan pribadinya melewati masa-masa sulit akibat cedera pada musim ini.

"I must say that it's a really hard time going on for me and it's bad timing and very bad luck I must say.

But I am not giving up from inside," cetus Ninthoi Meetei, Winger Punjab FC.

Meskipun demikian, Meetei merasa sangat puas dengan kepemimpinan tim kepelatihan yang memberikan dukungan serta keyakinan utama baginya untuk tetap bekerja keras.

"I know this year I am so satisfied," kata Ninthoi Meetei.

Di pihak lawan, Pelatih Kepala Mumbai City FC, Petr Kratky, memfokuskan skuadnya pada pemulihan fisik pemain mengingat jadwal padat setelah pertandingan tandang sebelumnya membuat waktu persiapan tim menjadi sangat singkat.

"The main focus after the last game was recovery and regrouping because it has been a short turnaround for us after our previous away fixture.

Now the attention is fully on our final game of the season and making sure the team is physically and mentally ready for the challenge," ujar Petr Kratky.

Kratky menyadari kekuatan Punjab FC serta tantangan cuaca panas di Delhi yang menuntut kesiapan taktis yang matang dari segala aspek permainan demi meraih hasil maksimal.